Sample records for series study electronic

Throughout this thesis, scanning precession electron diffraction is applied to heat-treated Al-Cu-Li and Al-Mg-Cu-Ag alloys, shedding light on the distribution of phases present and the complex interplay between these microstructural features. The employed technique yielded high quality data sets, which through subsequent data processing enabled a detailed phase mapping of these multi-component Al alloys. Among the main results presented, are virtual dark field images highlighting all separat...

Full Text Available Abstract Background Timely switch from intravenous (iv antibiotics to oral therapy is a key component of antimicrobial stewardship programs in order to improve patient safety, promote early discharge and reduce costs. We have introduced a time-efficient and easily implementable intervention that relies on a computerized trigger tool, which identifies patients who are candidates for an iv to oral antibiotic switch. Methods The intervention was introduced on all internal medicine wards in a teaching hospital. Patients were automatically identified by an electronic trigger tool when parenteral antibiotics were used for >48 h and clinical or pharmacological data did not preclude switch therapy. A weekly educational session was introduced to alert the physicians on the intervention wards. The intervention wards were compared with control wards, which included all other hospital wards. An interrupted time-series analysis was performed to compare the pre-intervention period with the post-intervention period using ‘% of i.v. prescriptions >72 h’ and ‘median duration of iv therapy per prescription’ as outcomes. We performed a detailed prospective evaluation on a subset of 244 prescriptions to evaluate the efficacy and appropriateness of the intervention. Results The number of intravenous prescriptions longer than 72 h was reduced by 19% in the intervention group (n = 1519 (p electronic reminder was 72%. Conclusions An electronic trigger tool combined with a weekly educational session was effective in reducing the duration of intravenous antimicrobial therapy.

The geometry structures, electronic structures, absorption and phosphorescent properties of a series of iridium(III) complexes with the different N-substitution cyclometalating ligand and the same benzyldiphenylphosphine auxiliary ligand have been theoretically investigated by using the density functional theory method. The lowest energy absorption wavelengths are located at 378 nm for A, 430 nm for B, 411 nm for C, 436 nm for D, and 394 nm for E. The introduction of N atom substitution at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-positions on the pyridyl moiety of complex A leads to an obvious redshifted absorption. The lowest energy emissions for complexes A–E are localized at 450, 409, 438, 483, and 429 nm, respectively, simulated in CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} medium at M052X level. Ionization potential and electron affinity have been calculated to evaluate the injection abilities of holes and electrons into these complexes. For complex C, the calculated results showed that it can possibly possess the larger radiative decay rate (k{sub r}) value than those of other four complexes. It is anticipated that the theoretical studies can provide valuable information for designing new phosphorescent metal complexes of organic light-emitting diodes. - Highlights: • Five Ir(III) complexes have been theoretically investigated. • The effect of N-substitution cyclometalating ligand has been studied. • The complex C possibly possesses the largest radiative decay rate value.

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on DFT (Density Functional Theory) approach and using FLAPW (Full potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave) method, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the MnSe lattice. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Mn lattices. Magnetic moments considered to lie along (001) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the high temperature series expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. The zero-field high temperature static susceptibility series of the spin −4.28 nearest-neighbor Ising model on face centered cubic (fcc) and lattices is thoroughly analyzed by means of a power series coherent anomaly method (CAM). The exchange interaction between the magnetic atoms and the Néel temperature are deduced using the mean filed and HTSEs theories. - Highlights: • Ab initio calculations are used to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the MnSe alloys. • Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the HTSEs. • The Néel temperature is obtained for MnSe alloys.

We report a quantum-chemistry study of electronic structures and spectral properties of four Ir(III) complexes Ir[2-(2,4-di-X-phenyl)pyridine] 2 (picolinate), where X=–CH 3 (1), –H (2), –CN (3), –NO 2 (4). The absorption and emission spectra were calculated based on the optimized ground state and excited state geometries, respectively, by means of the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The effect from the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents on charge injection, transport, absorption, and phosphorescent properties has been investigated. The absorption and emission properties can be altered by the different electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. Besides, ionization potential (IP), electron affinities (EA) and reorganization energy (λ hole/electron ) were obtained to evaluate the charge transfer and balance properties between hole and electron. The calculated results show that the different substitute groups affect the charge transfer rate and balance. It can be anticipated that the complexes 3 and 4 have good charge transport rates and balance between the hole and electron. -- Highlights: ► Four Ir(III) complexes have been theoretically investigated. ► The different substituents affect the charge transfer rate and balance. ► We design two candidate materials for OLEDs

Han, Deming [International Joint Research Center for Nanophotonics and Biophotonics, School of Life Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China); Zhang, Gang [State Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China); Cai, Hongxing; Zhang, Xihe [International Joint Research Center for Nanophotonics and Biophotonics, School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China); Zhao, Lihui, E-mail: zhaolihui@yahoo.com [International Joint Research Center for Nanophotonics and Biophotonics, School of Life Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China)

2013-06-15

We report a quantum-chemistry study of electronic structures and spectral properties of four Ir(III) complexes Ir[2-(2,4-di-X-phenyl)pyridine]{sub 2}(picolinate), where X=–CH{sub 3} (1), –H (2), –CN (3), –NO{sub 2} (4). The absorption and emission spectra were calculated based on the optimized ground state and excited state geometries, respectively, by means of the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The effect from the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents on charge injection, transport, absorption, and phosphorescent properties has been investigated. The absorption and emission properties can be altered by the different electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. Besides, ionization potential (IP), electron affinities (EA) and reorganization energy (λ{sub hole/electron}) were obtained to evaluate the charge transfer and balance properties between hole and electron. The calculated results show that the different substitute groups affect the charge transfer rate and balance. It can be anticipated that the complexes 3 and 4 have good charge transport rates and balance between the hole and electron. -- Highlights: ► Four Ir(III) complexes have been theoretically investigated. ► The different substituents affect the charge transfer rate and balance. ► We design two candidate materials for OLEDs.

In the refining industry, morphological measurements of particles have become an essential part in the characterization catalyst supports. Through these parameters, one can infer the specific physico-chemical properties of the studied materials. One of the main acquisition techniques is electron tomography (or nano-tomography). 3D volumes are reconstructed from sets of projections from different angles made by a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). This technique provides a real three-dimensional information at the nano-metric scale. A major issue in this method is the misalignment of the projections that contributes to the reconstruction. The current alignment techniques usually employ fiducial markers such as gold particles for a correct alignment of the images. When the use of markers is not possible, the correlation between adjacent projections is used to align them. However, this method sometimes fails. In this paper, we propose a new method based on the inverse problem approach where a certain criterion is minimized using a variant of the Nelder and Mead simplex algorithm. The proposed approach is composed of two steps. The first step consists of an initial alignment process, which relies on the minimization of a cost function based on robust statistics measuring the similarity of a projection to its previous projections in the series. It reduces strong shifts resulting from the acquisition between successive projections. In the second step, the pre-registered projections are used to initialize an iterative alignment-refinement process which alternates between (i) volume reconstructions and (ii) registrations of measured projections onto simulated projections computed from the volume reconstructed in (i). At the end of this process, we have a correct reconstruction of the volume, the projections being correctly aligned. Our method is tested on simulated data and shown to estimate accurately the translation, rotation and scale of arbitrary transforms. We

In the present work, the structural, topological and vibrational properties of four members of the N-benzylamides series derived from Maca (Lepidium meyenii) whose names are, N-benzylpentadecanamide, N-benzylhexadecanamide, N-benzylheptadecanamide and N-benzyloctadecanamide, were studied combining the FTIR, FT-Raman and 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopies with density functional theory (DFT) and ONION calculations. Furthermore, the N-benzylacetamide, N-benzylpropilamide and N-benzyl hexanamide derivatives were also studied in order to compare their properties with those computed for the four macamides. These seven N-benzylamides series have a common structure, C8H8NO-R, being R the side chain [-(CH2)n-CH3] with a variable n number of CH2 groups. Here, the atomic charges, molecular electrostatic potentials, stabilization energies, topological properties of those macamides were analyzed as a function of the number of C atoms of the side chain while the frontier orbitals were used to compute the gap energies and some descriptors in order to predict their reactivities and behaviors in function of the longitude of the side chain. Here, the force fields, the complete vibrational assignments and the corresponding force constants were only reported for N-benzylacetamide, N-benzyl hexanamide and N-benzylpentadecanamide due to the high number of vibration normal modes that present the remains macamides.

In the refining industry, morphological measurements of particles have become an essential part in the characterization catalyst supports. Through these parameters, one can infer the specific physicochemical properties of the studied materials. One of the main acquisition techniques is electron tomography (or nanotomography). 3D volumes are reconstructed from sets of projections from different angles made by a Transmission Elect...

The Appalachian Studies Program at Virginia Tech is hosting a series of notable artistic and documentary films. The films deal with themes or issues covered in Appalachian Studies courses and are organized historically, touching upon issues common to all Appalachians.

The structural, mechanical, electronic and magnetic properties of the series of Heusler alloys CoFeMnZ (Z=Si, As, and Sb) have been investigated theoretically. The objective is to seek for stable half-metallic ferromagnets materials with Curie temperatures higher than room temperature. The series of CoFeMnZ (Z=Si, As and Sb) is found to exhibit half-metallic ferromagnetism with high magnetic moment and the localized moment in these magnetic compounds resides at the Mn atom. It has been observed that all our compounds have high Curie temperatures with high spin polarizations. - Highlights: • Density functional calculations for CoFeMnZ (Z=Si, As, Sb) compounds are performed. • Half-metallic ferromagnetism in CoFeMnZ (Z=Si, As, Sb) compounds is established. • The magnetic and mechanical properties for CoFeMnZ (Z=As, Sb) are studied for the first time. • The studied compounds possess high Curie temperatures with high spin polarizations.

Our laboratory has made significant progress this year in devising improved electron-optical systems, in studying invertebrate hemoglobins with the STEM, and in achieving a workable sub-angstrom STEM. Our goal in electron optics is to improve resolution by producing spherical and chromatic aberration coefficients with signs opposite those of magnetic lenses. We have progressed toward this goal through calculations that explore the addition of electrodes to electron mirrors to reduce these two geometric aberrations and by devising a beam separation system that won't introduce asymmetrical aberrations. Some promising new designs of magnetic lenses for SEM applications have also been investigated. We have continued our exploration of the quaternary structure of the invertebrate hemoglobins and are now among the top laboratories in this area of expertise. In addition, we have overcome many of our electronic difficulties on the sub-angstrom STEM and have made significant progress toward achieving an operational system. The addition of an IBM RISC-6000 workstation to our lab has significantly increased our image processing capabilities

Chaos in electronic circuits is a phenomenon that has been largely ignored by engineers, manufacturers, and researchers until the early 1990’s and the work of Chua, Matsumoto, and others. As the world becomes more dependent on electronic devices, the detrimental effects of non-normal operation of these devices becomes more significant. Developing a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the chaotic behavior of electronic circuits is a logical step toward the prediction and prevention of any potentially catastrophic occurrence of this phenomenon. Also, a better understanding of chaotic behavior, in a general sense, could potentially lead to better accuracy in the prediction of natural events such as weather, volcanic activity, and earthquakes. As a first step in this improvement of understanding, and as part of the research being reported here, methods of computer modeling, identifying and analyzing, and producing chaotic behavior in simple electronic circuits have been developed. The computer models were developed using both the Alternative Transient Program (ATP) and Spice, the analysis techniques have been implemented using the C and C++ programming languages, and the chaotically behaving circuits developed using “off the shelf” electronic components.

In this study, density functional theory is used to evaluate the electronic structure of the antimony chalcogenide series. Analysis of the electronic density of states and charge density shows that asymmetric density, or ‘lone pairs’, forms on the Sb{sup III} cations in the distorted oxide, sulphide and selenide materials. The asymmetric density progressively weakens down the series, due to the increase in energy of valence p states from O to Te, and is absent for Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}. The fundamental and optical band gaps were calculated and Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} have indirect band gaps, while Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} was calculated to have a direct band gap at Γ. The band gaps are also seen to reduce from Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} to Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}. The optical band gap for Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} makes it a candidate as a transparent conducting oxide, while Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} have suitable band gaps for thin film solar cell absorbers. - Graphical abstract: A schematic illustrating the interaction between the Sb{sup III} cations and the chalcogenide anions and the change in their respective energy levels down the series. - Highlights: • The electronic structure of the antimony chalcogenide series is modelled using DFT. • Asymmetric density is present on distorted systems and absent on the symmetric telluride system. • Asymmetric density is formed from the mixing of Sb 5s and anion p states, where the anti-bonding combination is stabilised by the Sb 5p states. • The asymmetric density weakens down the series due to the increase in energy of chalcogenide p states. • The increase in energy of the anion p states reduces the fundamental and optical band gaps.

We investigate electron transport through series and parallel intramolecular circuits in the framework of the multi-level Redfield theory. Based on the assumption of weak monomer-bath couplings, the simulations depict the length and temperature dependence in six types of intramolecular circuits. In the tunneling regime, we find that the intramolecular circuit rule is only valid in the weak monomer coupling limit. In the thermally activated hopping regime, for circuits based on two different molecular units M a and M b with distinct activation energies E act,a > E act,b , the activation energies of M a and M b in series are nearly the same as E act,a while those in parallel are nearly the same as E act,b . This study gives a comprehensive description of electron transport through intramolecular circuits from tunneling to thermally activated hopping. We hope that this work can motivate additional studies to design intramolecular circuits based on different types of building blocks, and to explore the corresponding circuit laws and the length and temperature dependence of conductance.

Silicon (Si) is one of the most extensively studied materials owing to its significance to semiconductor science and technology. While efforts to find a new three-dimensional (3D) Si crystal with unusual properties have made some progress, its two-dimensional (2D) phases have not yet been explored as much. Here, based on a newly developed systematic ab initio materials searching strategy, we report a series of novel 2D Si crystals with unprecedented structural and electronic properties. The new structures exhibit perfectly planar outermost surface layers of a distorted hexagonal network with their thicknesses varying with the atomic arrangement inside. Dramatic changes in electronic properties ranging from semimetal to semiconducting with indirect energy gaps and even to one with direct energy gaps are realized by varying thickness as well as by surface oxidation. Our predicted 2D Si crystals with flat surfaces and tunable electronic properties will shed light on the development of silicon-based 2D electronics technology.

This study is an epigraphical investigation of the Linear B records from the West Wing in the palace of Knossos. Its focus is the group of 61 unclassified Od tablets with the ideogram for wool. The author presents a new classification of the Od tablets by identifying new sets, and by integrating...... unclassified Od tablets into existing Od sets or into other series recording wool, such as the two well known and thoroughly researched "bureaux", the textile and the sheep administration. Recent work by FIRTH on find-places has provided new insights for this study. In the present study, 29 prefix changes...... are suggested. Only few unclassified Od tablets, however, can be associated with the initial parts of textile production in which scribes 103 and 113 set targets and manage the production. Rather, many unclassified Od tablets belong to the final stages of the textile production, that is, the finishing...

This year our laboratory has continued to make progress in the design of electron-optical systems, in the study of structure-function relationships of large multi-subunit proteins, in the development of new image processing software and in achieving a workable sub-angstrom STEM. We present an algebraic approach to the symmetrical Einzel (unipotential) lens wherein we simplify the analysis by specifying a field shape that meets some preferred set of boundary or other conditions and then calculate the fields. In a second study we generalize this approach to study of three element electrostatic lenses of which the symmetrical Einzel lens is a particular form. The purpose is to develop a method for assisting in the design of a lens for a particular purpose. In our biological work we study a stable and functional dodecameric complex of globin chains from the hemoglobin of Lumbricus terrestris. This is a complex lacking the ''linker'' subunit first imaged in this lab and required for maintenance of the native structure. In addition, we do a complete work-up on the hemoglobin of the marine polychaete Eudistylia vancouverii demonstrating the presence of a hierarchy of globin complexes. We demonstrate stable field-emission in the sub-angstrom STEM and the preliminary alignment of the beam. We continue our exploration of a algorithms for alignment of sequences of protein and DNA. Our computer facilities now include four second generation RISC workstations and we continue to take increasing advantage of the floating-point and graphical performance of these devices

Asserts that electronic mail provides opportunities to engage students actively in cross-cultural contact with students in other nations. Discusses advantages and problems with using electronic mail in the social studies classroom. Describes electronic mail projects that link students in New Zealand, England, and the United States. (CFR)

Experience gained in experimental nuclear physics has played a large role in the development of electron spectroscopy as a powerful tool for studying chemical systems. The use of ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) for the mapping of molecular properties connected with inner as well as outer electron shells is reviewed, mainly from a phenomological point of view. Molecular Auger electron spectroscopy is described as a means of gaining information on details in molecular structure, simultaneously being extensively applied for surface studies. Future highly promising research areas for molecular electron spectroscopy are suggested to be (e,2e) processes as well as continued exploitation of synchrotron radiation from high energy nuclear devices. (Auth.)

Center, Dallas, TX Northrop Grumman Corp, Electronic Sensors & Systems, Baltimore, MD International Acer Incorporated, Hsin Chu, Taiwan Aerospace...manufacturing. Many of the large-scale fabrication foundries are offshore in such countries as Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia .5 - 5 - The largest market for...done in the US. However, more of the actual mass manufacturing of the chips are done in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia . A new semiconductor facility

This is a report covering the research performed in the Crewe laboratory between 1964 and 1992. Because of limitations of space we have provided relatively brief summaries of the major research directions of the facility during these years. A complete bibliography has been included and we have referenced groups of pertinent publications at the beginning of each section. This report summarizes our efforts to develop better electron microscopes and chronicles many of the experimental programs, in materials science and biology, that acted both as a stimulus to better microscope design and also as a testing ground for many instrumental innovations

This is a report covering the research performed in the Crewe laboratory between 1964 and 1992. Because of limitations of space we have provided relatively brief summaries of the major research directions of the facility during these years. A complete bibliography has been included and we have referenced groups of pertinent publications at the beginning of each section. This report summarizes our efforts to develop better electron microscopes and chronicles many of the experimental programs, in materials science and biology, that acted both as a stimulus to better microscope design and also as a testing ground for many instrumental innovations.

The influence of the series resistance on the electron transport and recombination processes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) has been investigated. The series resistances induced by some parts of DSC, such as the transparent conductive oxide (TCO), the electrolyte layer and the counter electrode, influence the performance of DSC. By combining three frequency-domain techniques, specifically electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS), we studied the relationship between the series resistance and the dynamic response of DSC. The results show that the series resistance induced by the TCO or counter electrode predominantly affects the electron transport under short circuit conditions and has no significant influence on the recombination under open circuit conditions. However, the resistance related to the electrolyte layer not only limits the carrier transport but also influences the recombination. Possible reasons for the influence of the series resistance on the electron transport and recombination processes in DSC are also discussed.

This paper summarizes the results of a study on beam diagnostics, using carbon wire scanners and optical transition radiation (DTR) monitors. The main consideration consists in the material selection, taking their thermal properties and their effect on the beam into account [fr

A complementary approach is proposed for analysing series of electron energy-loss spectra that can be recorded with the spectrum-line technique, across an interface for instance. This approach, called blind source separation (BSS) or independent component analysis (ICA), complements two existing methods: the spatial difference approach and multivariate statistical analysis. The principle of the technique is presented and illustrations are given through one simulated example and one real example

We report on the quantitative analysis of electrolessly deposited Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on SU8 polymer with the help of High-Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HAADF-STEM) in tilt series. Au NPs act as nucleating agents for the electroless deposition of silver. Au NPs were prepared by attachingAu^3+cations to amine functionalized SU8 polymeric surfaces and then reducing it with aqueous NaBH4. The nanoscale morphology of the deposited NPs on the surface of polymer has been studied from the dark field TEM cross sectional images. Ag NPs were deposited on the cross-linked polymeric surface from a silver citrate solution reduced by hydroquinone. HAADF-STEM enables us to determine the distances between the NPs and their exact locations at and near the surface. The particle distribution, sizes and densities provide us with the data necessary to control the parameters for the development of the electroless deposition technique for emerging nanoscale technologies.

Time series analysis and modelling represent a large study field, implying the approach from the perspective of the time and frequency, with applications in different domains. Modelling hydro-meteorological time series is difficult due to the characteristics of these series, as long range dependence, spatial dependence, the correlation with other series. Continuous spatial data plays an important role in planning, risk assessment and decision making in environmental management. In this context, in this book we present various statistical tests and modelling techniques used for time series analysis, as well as applications to hydro-meteorological series from Dobrogea, a region situated in the south-eastern part of Romania, less studied till now. Part of the results are accompanied by their R code. .

The TIGER series of time-independent coupled electron/photon Monte Carlo transport codes is a group of multimaterial, multidimensional codes designed to provide a state-of-the-art description of the production and transport of the electron/photon cascade. The codes follow both electrons and photons from 1.0 GeV down to 1.0 keV, and the user has the option of combining the collisional transport with transport in macroscopic electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary spatial dependence. Source particles can be either electrons or photons. The most important output data are (a) charge and energy deposition profiles, (b) integral and differential escape coefficients for both electrons and photons, (c) differential electron and photon flux, and (d) pulse-height distributions for selected regions of the problem geometry. The base codes of the series differ from one another primarily in their dimensionality and geometric modeling. They include (a) a one-dimensional multilayer code, (b) a code that describes the transport in two-dimensional axisymmetric cylindrical material geometries with a fully three-dimensional description of particle trajectories, and (c) a general three-dimensional transport code which employs a combinatorial geometry scheme. These base codes were designed primarily for describing radiation transport for those situations in which the detailed atomic structure of the transport medium is not important. For some applications, it is desirable to have a more detailed model of the low energy transport. The system includes three additional codes that contain a more elaborate ionization/relaxation model than the base codes. Finally, the system includes two codes that combine the collisional transport of the multidimensional base codes with transport in macroscopic electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary spatial dependence

Bermuda is the site of two ocean time-series programs. At Hydrostation S, the ongoing biweekly profiles of temperature, salinity and oxygen now span 37 years. This is one of the longest open-ocean time-series data sets and provides a view of decadal scale variability in ocean processes. In 1988, the U.S. JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time-seriesStudy began a wide range of measurements at a frequency of 14-18 cruises each year to understand temporal variability in ocean biogeochemistry. On each cruise, the data range from chemical analyses of discrete water samples to data from electronic packages of hydrographic and optics sensors. In addition, a range of biological and geochemical rate measurements are conducted that integrate over time-periods of minutes to days. This sampling strategy yields a reasonable resolution of the major seasonal patterns and of decadal scale variability. The Sargasso Sea also has a variety of episodic production events on scales of days to weeks and these are only poorly resolved. In addition, there is a substantial amount of mesoscale variability in this region and some of the perceived temporal patterns are caused by the intersection of the biweekly sampling with the natural spatial variability. In the Bermuda time-series programs, we have added a series of additional cruises to begin to assess these other sources of variation and their impacts on the interpretation of the main time-series record. However, the adequate resolution of higher frequency temporal patterns will probably require the introduction of new sampling strategies and some emerging technologies such as biogeochemical moorings and autonomous underwater vehicles.

Cohort design is a type of nonexperimental or observational study design. In a cohort study, the participants do not have the outcome of interest to begin with. They are selected based on the exposure status of the individual. They are then followed over time to evaluate for the occurrence of the outcome of interest. Some examples of cohort studies are (1) Framingham Cohort study, (2) Swiss HIV Cohort study, and (3) The Danish Cohort study of psoriasis and depression. These studies may be prospective, retrospective, or a combination of both of these types. Since at the time of entry into the cohort study, the individuals do not have outcome, the temporality between exposure and outcome is well defined in a cohort design. If the exposure is rare, then a cohort design is an efficient method to study the relation between exposure and outcomes. A retrospective cohort study can be completed fast and is relatively inexpensive compared with a prospective cohort study. Follow-up of the study participants is very important in a cohort study, and losses are an important source of bias in these types of studies. These studies are used to estimate the cumulative incidence and incidence rate. One of the main strengths of a cohort study is the longitudinal nature of the data. Some of the variables in the data will be time-varying and some may be time independent. Thus, advanced modeling techniques (such as fixed and random effects models) are useful in analysis of these studies.

Full Text Available Cohort design is a type of nonexperimental or observational study design. In a cohort study, the participants do not have the outcome of interest to begin with. They are selected based on the exposure status of the individual. They are then followed over time to evaluate for the occurrence of the outcome of interest. Some examples of cohort studies are (1 Framingham Cohort study, (2 Swiss HIV Cohort study, and (3 The Danish Cohort study of psoriasis and depression. These studies may be prospective, retrospective, or a combination of both of these types. Since at the time of entry into the cohort study, the individuals do not have outcome, the temporality between exposure and outcome is well defined in a cohort design. If the exposure is rare, then a cohort design is an efficient method to study the relation between exposure and outcomes. A retrospective cohort study can be completed fast and is relatively inexpensive compared with a prospective cohort study. Follow-up of the study participants is very important in a cohort study, and losses are an important source of bias in these types of studies. These studies are used to estimate the cumulative incidence and incidence rate. One of the main strengths of a cohort study is the longitudinal nature of the data. Some of the variables in the data will be time-varying and some may be time independent. Thus, advanced modeling techniques (such as fixed and random effects models are useful in analysis of these studies.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO DISCOVER WHETHER THE DOCUMENTARY TV FILM SERIES, "COUNTY AGENT," HAD APPEAL FOR AND IMPACT UPON A GENERAL AUDIENCE AND WHETHER A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP EXISTED BETWEEN THE METHODS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION USED. THE TV SERIES, BROADCAST OVER WKAR-TV, CONSISTED OF 13 PROGRAMS ABOUT PROJECTS SPONSORED BY THE…

carry a selendang, a long stretch of cloth draped over the shoulder, which on less formal occasions was used to carry babies or objects. Urban...vols.) (The Asia Society.) New York: Scribner’s, 1988. 419 Indonesia: A Country Study Foss, Christopher F. (ed.). Jane’s Armour and Artillery, 1991-92

the Philippines’ own claim to Sabah, the territory in northeastern Bor- neo that had become a Malaysian state in 1963. Marcos and the Road to Martial...north, was on the risc 50 Historical Setting In 1969 the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was or- ganized on Malaysian soil. The MNLF conducted an...particularly so where the 7enter was itself a full-scale 91 Philippines: A Country Study town, complete with restaurants, cinemas , banks, specialty

inadequa prenal cue, tbe proportion of preature births increse •d from 7 to 11 perent between 197 amd early 1992. Hospits lacked es- sen"h mecidmund erp...were urgently needed to deal with the multiplying number of privately owned cars. Albanian entrepreneurs also 151 Albania: A Country Study imported... entrepreneurs from the reta marketplace. At first, peasants began setting up road- side fruit and vegetables stands or carrying their produce to mar- kets in

kid- napping of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann from Argentina. Another kidnapping, in 1986, brought to Israel for prosecution the nuclear...penalty could be imposed for treason or for conviction for Nazi war crimes but, as of 1988, 331 Israel: A Country Study Eichmann was the only person to be...See land ownership Eichmann , Adolph, 331-32 extensive threat concept, 267-68 Eisenhower, Dwight D., 58 Ezekiel, 11 Eisenstadt, S. N., 83 Ezra, II

iI~torical Settinlg Sphinx and pyramids at Giza (Al jizah) THE ROOTS OF EGYPTIAN civilization go back more than 6,000 years to the beginning of...built by Snoferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty. His son and successor, Kheops, built the Great Pyramid at Giza (AlJizah); this, with its two... Pyramid and Sphinx at Giza , Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2540 B. C. Courtesy Boris Boguslavsky 19 Egypt: A Country Study In June 640, reinforcements for the Arab

An investigation of the M series resonant x-ray emission lines of barium for near threshold electron excitation was undertaken with a vacuum double crystal spectrometer equipped with potassium acid phthalate crystals. X-ray continuum isochromats were obtained for barium samples using the double crystal spectrometer as a monochrometer set to pass 532 eV photons. The rotatable anode allowed the samples to be observed by either the double crystal spectrometer or a soft x-ray appearance potential spectrometer, which was used for monitoring the surface of the varium sample for contamination, and to provide a cross-check for the double crystal spectrometer data. Barium M series characteristic x-ray spectra for 2.0 keV electron excitation were obtained for a variety of samples, and it was discovered that the fluorescent and resonant x-ray emission line energies remained virtually the same, regardless of the chemical condition of the sample. The continuum resonance effect was observed for near-threshold energy electron excitation, but it was significantly weaker than the same effect observed previously for lanthanum or cerium. The electron excitation energy and intensity of this effect were strongly dependent on the chemical condition of the barium sample. X-ray continuum isochromats were observed for pure and contaminated barium samples at a photon energy of 532 eV. For pure metallic barium, a peak associated with 4f electronic states was observed at an energy of about 10.2 eV above the Fermi level. When the sample was exposed to 1.5 x 10 4 Langmuir of air, the 4f structure became more sharply peaked, and shifted to an energy of about 12.0 eV above the Fermi level. A continuum isochromat of barium oxide was also observed. Chemical shifts in barium M IV and M V appearance potential spectra are therefore caused soley by shifts in the energy position of the empty 4f electronic states relative to the Fermi level

This thesis discusses the main results of recent experimental studies of electron capture in asymmetric collisions. Most of the results have been published, but the thesis also contains yet unpublished data, or data presented only in unrefereed conference proceedings. The thesis aims at giving a coherent discussion of the understanding of the experimental results, based first on simple qualitative considerations and subsequently on quantitative comparisons with the best theoretical calculations currently available. (Auth.)

In any team or solar device that it seeks to be designed and dedicated to the use of the solar energy it will be had the most appropriate information on the radiation levels. Being this source of dependent energy of the atmospheric and meteorological fluctuations, it is that requires have the information best regarding the quantity and variability of the available solar energy. A road is already the statistical treatment of the data available, so much of solar radiation as of hours of sun. This focus generates a lot of expectation for the biggest quantity in information regarding the hours of existent sun. This bigger information of hours of sun is due to that the mensurations are carried out with instruments called heliografos with a level of complexity and much smaller cost that the instruments of radiation mensuration. Among the heliografos the most used one is that of Campbell-Stokes, and it is the one that you had installed in most of the meteorological stations of Argentina and the World, for what the information of hours of sun is the one that more is plentiful. The present work has for objective to find an interrelation between the measured series of hours of sun and irradiation. The study is carried out using models of temporary series and the pattern of Angstrom-Page. The are carried out a study of the generation of radiation sequences using models of temporary series and the pattern of Angstrom-Page. They are carried out a study of the generation of radiation sequences using the concept of the Chains of Markov. Rio Cuarto's series are analyzed for being determined the transfer function among both series, and the values of global solar radiation are obtained for towns of the same region. They are the coefficients of Anstrom-Page's Equation for Rio Cuarto. They are the values monthly means for these two methods and results are compared. [Spanish] En cualquier equipo o dispositivo solar que pretenda ser disenado y destinado al aprovechamiento de

The inelastic scattering of fast electrons by the excitation of L-shell electrons at a stacking fault in silicon has been studied with a scanning transmission electron microscope. It was found that the bright-field stacking fault contrast is preserved in the filtered L-shell-loss signal at 100 eV. This result is discussed in terms of the delocalization of the excitation mechanism. It is concluded that localization effects will typically become significant only for energy transfers greater than 1 keV from a fast electron of energy 80 keV. (author)

Linear polarization of the photons emitted in the process of the atomic field electron bremsstrahlung has been studied at the newly developed 100 keV polarized electron source of TU Darmstadt. A correlation between the initial orientation of the electron spin and the degree and the angle of photon linear polarization has been measured for the first time. For this purpose a hard x-ray Compton polarimeter consisting of a segmented high purity germanium detector and an external passive photon scattering target have been applied. Linear polarization sensitive Compton and Rayleigh photon scattering distributions have been sampled by the segmented detector. The observed polarization correlation reveals a precession of the electron spin as it moves in the field of the nucleus. The full-relativistic calculations for the case of radiative recombination into a Rydberg series limit have been corroborated by the measurement. The results of this experiment suggest a new method for electron beam polarimetry.

During 2010 August a series of solar particle events was observed by the two STEREO spacecraft as well as near-Earth spacecraft. The events, occurring on August 7, 14, and 18, originated from active regions 11093 and 11099. We combine in situ and remote-sensing observations with predictions from our model of three-dimensional anisotropic particle propagation in order to investigate the physical processes that caused the large angular spreads of energetic electrons during these events. In particular, we address the effects of the lateral transport of the electrons in the solar corona that is due to diffusion perpendicular to the average magnetic field in the interplanetary medium. We also study the influence of two coronal mass ejections and associated shock waves on the electron propagation, and a possible time variation of the transport conditions during the above period. For the August 18 event we also utilize electron observations from the MESSENGER spacecraft at a distance of 0.31 au from the Sun for an attempt to separate between radial and longitudinal dependencies in the transport process. Our modelings show that the parallel and perpendicular diffusion mean free paths of electrons can vary significantly not only as a function of the radial distance, but also of the heliospheric longitude. Normalized to a distance of 1 au, we derive values of λ {sub ∥} in the range of 0.15–0.6 au, and values of λ {sub ⊥} in the range of 0.005–0.01 au. We discuss how our results relate to various theoretical models for perpendicular diffusion, and whether there might be a functional relationship between the perpendicular and the parallel mean free path.

Soldered or cast bars are used as a standard of care in attachment systems supporting maxillary and mandibular implant overdentures. When failures of these bars occur, currently there is a lack of evidence in relation to their specific etiology, location, or nature. To investigate the failure process of a case series of six failed soldered bars, four intact soldered bars, and one intact cast milled bar, which had been supporting implant overdentures. A total of 11 different overdenture bars were removed from patients with different configuration of opposing arches. A failed bar (FB) group (n = 6) had failed soldered overdenture bars, which were recovered from patients following up to 2 years of wear before requiring prosthodontic maintenance and repair. An intact bar (IB) group (n = 5) had both soldered bars and a single cast milled bar, which had been worn by patients for 2 to 5 years prior to receiving other aspects of prosthodontic maintenance. All bars were examined using scanning electron microscopy to establish the possible mode of failure (FB) or to identify evidence of potential failure in the future (IB). Evidence of a progressive failure mode of corrosion fatigue and creep were observed on all the FB and IB usually around the solder areas and nonoxidizing gold cylinder. Fatigue and creep were also observed in all the IB. Where the level of corrosion was substantial, there was no evidence of wear from the matrices of the attachment system. Evidence of an instantaneous failure mode, ductile and brittle overload, was observed on the fracture surfaces of all the FB, within the solder and the nonoxidizing gold cylinders, at the solder/cylinder interface. Corrosion, followed by corrosion fatigue, appears to be a key factor in the onset of the failure process for overdenture bars in this case series of both maxillary and mandibular overdentures. Limited sample size and lack of standardization identify trends only but prevent broad interpretation of the findings.

Electron beam tomography is a promising imaging modality for the study of fast technical processes. But for many technical objects of interest x rays of several hundreds of keV energy are required to achieve sufficient material penetration. In this article we report on a feasibility study for fast electron beam computed tomography with a 1 MeV electron beam. The experimental setup comprises an electrostatic accelerator with beam optics, transmission target, and a single x-ray detector. We employed an inverse fan-beam tomography approach with radiographic projections being generated from the linearly moving x-ray source. Angular projections were obtained by rotating the object.

In extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, 92 eV photons are used to expose photoresists. Typical EUV resists are organic-based and chemically amplified using photoacid generators (PAGs). Upon exposure, PAGs produce acids which catalyze reactions that result in changes in solubility. In EUV lithography, photo- and secondary electrons (energies of 10- 80 eV) play a large role in PAG acid-production. Several mechanisms for electron-PAG interactions (e.g. electron trapping, and hole-initiated chemistry) have been proposed. The aim of this study is to explore another mechanism - internal excitation - in which a bound PAG electron can be excited by receiving energy from another energetic electron, causing a reaction that produces acid. This paper explores the mechanism of internal excitation through the analogous process of electron-induced fluorescence, in which an electron loses energy by transferring that energy to a molecule and that molecule emits a photon rather than decomposing. We will show and quantify electron-induced fluorescence of several fluorophores in polymer films to mimic resist materials, and use this information to refine our proposed mechanism. Relationships between the molecular structure of fluorophores and fluorescent quantum yield may aid in the development of novel PAGs for EUV lithography.

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) at an oblique angle to the magnetic field provides a means of probing the electron distribution function both in energy and physical space through changes in and constraints on the relativistic electron cyclotron resonance condition. Diagnostics based on this Doppler shifted resonance are able to study a variety of electron distributions through changes in the location of the resonance in physical or energy space accomplished by changes in the viewing angle and frequency, and the magnetic field. For the case of observation across a changing magnetic field, such as across the tokamak midplane, the constraint on the resonance condition for real solutions to the dispersion relation can constrain the physical location of optically thin emission. A new Oblique ECE diagnostic was installed and operated on the PBX-M tokamak for the study of energetic electrons during lower hybrid current drive. It has a view 33 degree with respect to perpendicular in the tokamak midplane, receives second harmonic X-mode emission, and is constrained to receive single pass emission by SiC viewing dumps on the tokamak walls. Spatial localization of optically thin emission from superthermal electrons (50 endash 100 keV) was obtained by observation of emission upshifted from a thermal cyclotron harmonic. The localized measurements of the electron energy distribution and the superthermal density profile made by this diagnostic demonstrate its potential to study the spatial transport of energetic electrons on fast magnetohydrodynamic time scales or anomalous diffusion time scales. Oblique ECE can also be used to studyelectron distributions that may have a slight deviation from a Maxwellian by localizing the emission in energy space. (Abstract Truncated)

The diffuse spectral series, 2S 2 np 2 P-2s 2 nd 2 D, of the boron isoelectronic sequence has been studied through a one-particle scheme, by explicitly treating only the active electron. Oscillator strengths for various transitions (n = 2,3; n' = 3-16) have been computed with the quantum defect and relativistic quantum defect formalisms, and results comparing very satisfactory with other theoretical data have been obtained

Attention has been drawn to the concepts of Electronic Books and ElectronicStudy Books. Several publications have discussed some main ideas (paradigms) for both concepts. For the ElectronicStudy Book as a learning environment, it is essential to consider individual modes of learning, usually

The Auburn University electron cyclotron emission (ECE) system has made many significant contributions to the TEXT experimental program during the past five years. Contributions include electron temperature information used in the following areas of study: electron cyclotron heating (ECH), pellet injection, and impurity/energy transport. Details of the role which the Auburn ECE system has played will now be discussed

The dependence of antimicrobial activity on the structure of compounds is studied in a series of compounds based on hydrazine coordinated with ions of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Pd(II). The study has been carried out by means of the original electron-topological method developed earlier. A molecular fragment has been found that is only characteristic of biologically active compounds. Its spatial and electron parameters have been used for the quantitative assessment of the activity in view. The results obtained can be used for the antimicrobial activity prediction in a series of compounds with similar structures.

Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-Ray spectrometry and electron-energy-loss spectroscopy are used to analyse carbon in interplanetary dust particles. Optical micrographs are shown depicting cross sections of the dust particles embedded in sulphur. Selected-area electron diffraction patterns are shown. Transmission Electron Microscope specimens of lunar soil were prepared using two methods: ion-milling and ultramicrotomy. A combination of high resolution TEM imaging and electron diffraction is used to characterize the opaque assemblages. The opaque assemblages analyzed in this study are dominated by ilmenite with lesser rutile and spinel exsolutions, and traces of Fe metal.

For few decades, growing number of studies have shown usefulness of data in the field of seismogeochemistry interpreted as geochemical precursory signals for impending earthquakes and radon is idendified to be as one of the most reliable geochemical precursor. Radon is recognized as short-term precursor and is being monitored in many countries. This study is aimed at developing an effective earthquake forecasting system by inspecting long term radon time series data. The data is obtained from a network of radon monitoring stations eastblished along different faults of Taiwan. The continuous time series radon data for earthquake studies have been recorded and some significant variations associated with strong earthquakes have been observed. The data is also examined to evaluate earthquake precursory signals against environmental factors. An automated real-time database operating system has been developed recently to improve the data processing for earthquake precursory studies. In addition, the study is aimed at the appraisal and filtrations of these environmental parameters, in order to create a real-time database that helps our earthquake precursory study. In recent years, automatic operating real-time database has been developed using R, an open source programming language, to carry out statistical computation on the data. To integrate our data with our working procedure, we use the popular and famous open source web application solution, AMP (Apache, MySQL, and PHP), creating a website that could effectively show and help us manage the real-time database.

Full Text Available This type of coin and appeared as a result of the needs for a proper management of the financial resources available in the market, but also to improve the payments system in our country. The card is an alternative to the conventional instruments of payment is a payment instrument with and without cash by means of which the holder disposes of the current account. It is a standardized, secure information and individualized, through which you can perform operations of cash withdrawal, payment for the goods or services purchased, payment obligations by the public administration authorities and funds transfers between accounts, other than those ordered and executed by financial institutions, carried out through the electronic payment instrument.

The 1sns 3 S e Rydberg series in a two-electron system with the charge of the nucleus, Z≅1, is treated by means of the quantum-defect theory. Comparison with configuration interaction calculations suggests that the quantum-defect expression for the energy levels becomes asymptotically exact as Z→1. This provides an analytic description of the disappearance of the 1sns 3 S e bound states when Z approaches the critical value of 1

Complete text of publication follows. The investigation of double differential cross sections of photon induced Auger electrons provides very sensitive method for studying the rearrangement process, especially when the angular correlation between photo- and Auger electrons is also studied. Such type of measurements could reveal a new aspect in studying the electron-electron, hole-electron and photoelectron - Auger electron interactions. It enables one to separate the overlapping Auger lines belonging to different initial holes. The traditional coincidence measurement is very time consuming and causes serious calibration problems. In order to overcome these experimental difficulties a new electron-spectrometer (ESA-22) was developed in ATOMKI, Debrecen in cooperation with the Electron spectroscopy group of University of Oulu, Finland. The analyzer consists of a spherical and a cylindrical part. It is very similar to the ESA-21 analyzer. The main differences is that the focal ring can be set different diameters thus either a series of channel detectors can be used to detect the electrons at different angles or a position sensitive channel plate can be applied for simultaneous angular recording of electrons. Furthermore the outer sphere and cylinder are cut into two parts so the spectrometer is capable to analyze two independent angularly resolved electron spectra (in the 0 deg - 180 deg region) at different energy regions, simultaneously. A special electronic control and data handling electronics and software was worked out to control the analyzer. The first results were presented in. In the last year the ESA-22 electron-spectrometer was transported to the I411 beam line of MAX-II synchrotron in Lund, Sweden. The advanced properties of the spectrometer was investigated by measuring coincidences between the photoelectrons originated from the Ar L 3 subshell and the Ar Auger electrons in the 203-207 eV energy region. Fig. 1 shows the single and the coincidence spectra

to traditional LS-systems, in terms of better control and system utilization possibilities, combined with the increased acceptance and use of electronic sensors in mobile hydraulic machinery. The current work is to evaluate the suitability of an ELS concepts applied to a Sauer Danfoss Series 45 H-frame open...... circuit axial piston pump. Emphasis is on performance robustness with respect to both variations in internal physical parameters of the pump as well as the type of application dependant load that the pump is expected to drive.The research reflect mechatronics as an integrated design process, while...... a synergistic combination of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, and control engineering are needed in order to get a successful ELS design....

The evolution of the distribution function for a test population of electrons in an isothermal electron-proton corona has been studied using a Fokker-Planck description. The aim is to investigate whether a suprathermal tail forms due to the energy dependence of the Coulomb cross section. We find that a Maxwellian test population, injected into this background close to the coronal base with a temperature equal to that of the background electrons, maintains its shape throughout the transition from collision-dominated to collisionless flow. No significant suprathermal tail in the electron distribution function is seen in the outer corona

This thesis aims at characterizing the dynamics of fast electrons generated by the Landau absorption of the hybrid wave and studying their effects on electron cyclotron radiation. The different processes involved in the propagation and resonant absorption of the hybrid wave in plasmas are described. A method such as ray-tracing allows the characterization of the dynamics of heating but this method relies on the hypothesis of geometrical optics. Whenever absorption rate is low as it is in Tore-Supra, the hybrid wave undergoes a series of successive reflections on the edge of the plasma before being completely absorbed. These reflections generate an electromagnetic chaos in which geometrical optics hypothesis are no longer valid. A statistical treatment of the Fokker-Planck equation allows the calculation of the mean distribution function of electrons in the plasma submitted to hybrid wave. The electron cyclotron radiation is then deduced and by assuming that plasma behaves like a black body, a theoretical radiative temperature is calculated. The confrontation of this theoretical temperature profile with experimental values allows the validation of this modeling and the estimation of the effects of fast electrons on temperature measurements. (A.C.)

Vertical excitation energies belonging to several Rydberg series of MgH have been inferred from 3+ electron-propagator calculations of the electron affinities of MgH+ and are in close agreement with experiment. Many electronically excited states with n > 3 are reported for the first time and new insight is given on the assignment of several Rydberg series. Valence and Rydberg excited states of MgH are distinguished respectively by high and low pole strengths corresponding to Dyson orbitals of electron attachment to the cation. By applying the Molecular Quantum Defect Orbital method, oscillator strengths for electronic transitions involving Rydberg states also have been determined.

An ''elastic'' scattering study for low impact energies (5--20 ev) is reported for electron impact excitation of KOH. The ''elastic'' scattering is regarded as the sum of elastic rotational and vibrational contributions to the scattering

OBJECT Neurosurgery studies traditionally have evaluated the effects of interventions on health care outcomes by studying overall changes in measured outcomes over time. Yet, this type of linear analysis is limited due to lack of consideration of the trend's effects both pre- and postintervention and the potential for confounding influences. The aim of this study was to illustrate interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) as applied to an example in the neurosurgical literature and highlight ITSA's potential for future applications. METHODS The methods used in previous neurosurgical studies were analyzed and then compared with the methodology of ITSA. RESULTS The ITSA method was identified in the neurosurgical literature as an important technique for isolating the effect of an intervention (such as a policy change or a quality and safety initiative) on a health outcome independent of other factors driving trends in the outcome. The authors determined that ITSA allows for analysis of the intervention's immediate impact on outcome level and on subsequent trends and enables a more careful measure of the causal effects of interventions on health care outcomes. CONCLUSIONS ITSA represents a significant improvement over traditional observational study designs in quantifying the impact of an intervention. ITSA is a useful statistical procedure to understand, consider, and implement as the field of neurosurgery evolves in sophistication in big-data analytics, economics, and health services research.

During the last decade we have been witness to several exciting achievements in electron crystallography. This includes structural and charge density studies on organic molecules complicated inorganic and metallic materials in the amorphous, nano-, meso- and quasi-crystalline state and also development of new software, tailor-made for the special needs of electron crystallography. Moreover, these developments have been accompanied by a now available new generation of computer controlled electron microscopes equipped with high-coherent field-emission sources, cryo-specimen holders, ultra-fast CCD cameras, imaging plates, energy filters and even correctors for electron optical distortions. Thus, a fast and semi-automatic data acquisition from small sample areas, similar to what we today know from imaging plates diffraction systems in X-ray crystallography, can be envisioned for the very near future. This progress clearly shows that the contribution of electron crystallography is quite unique, as it enables to r...

A method for rapid control prototyping of the series-hybrid transmission system is proposed in this paper. The rapid control prototyping needs simulation submodels from all system components in order to develop supervisory control software. The same simulation models can also be used to optimize the drive train. The target framework for the rapid control prototyping method is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), where the objective is to build devices from subcontractor's components. The machinery industry, as a target group, uses high power ratings for the creation of motion, which leads to high voltage and current values used in the system. Therefore, prototyping is started with careful simulations. This paper also seeks to create a general idea about the structure of the series-hybrid power transmission and assists the start of the process for designing the supervisory control. (orig.)

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach and using Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FLAPW) method within GGA+U approximation, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the GdS layers. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Gd layers. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (001) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. Using the Heisenberg model, the exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Gd–Gd in the same layer and between the magnetic atoms in the adjacent bilayers are estimated. This estimate is obtained using the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic energies computed by abinitio calculations for GdS layers. The High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility of GdS with antiferromagnetic moment (m{sub Gd}) is given up to sixth order series versus of (J{sub 11}(Gd–Gd)/k{sub B}T). The Néel temperature T{sub N} is obtained by mean field theory and by HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility series using the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is calculated for GdS layers. - Highlights: • Electronic and magnetic properties of GdS are investigated using the ab initio calculations. • Obtained data from abinitio calculations are used as input for HTSEs to compute other magnetic parameters. • Néel temperature and critical exponent are deduced using HTSE method.

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach and using Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FLAPW) method within GGA+U approximation, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the GdS layers. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Gd layers. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (001) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. Using the Heisenberg model, the exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Gd–Gd in the same layer and between the magnetic atoms in the adjacent bilayers are estimated. This estimate is obtained using the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic energies computed by abinitio calculations for GdS layers. The High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility of GdS with antiferromagnetic moment (m Gd ) is given up to sixth order series versus of (J 11 (Gd–Gd)/k B T). The Néel temperature T N is obtained by mean field theory and by HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility series using the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is calculated for GdS layers. - Highlights: • Electronic and magnetic properties of GdS are investigated using the ab initio calculations. • Obtained data from abinitio calculations are used as input for HTSEs to compute other magnetic parameters. • Néel temperature and critical exponent are deduced using HTSE method

The self-excitation of plasma series resonance (PSR) oscillations plays an important role in the electron heating dynamics in capacitively coupled radio-frequency (CCRF) plasmas. In a combined approach of PIC/MCC simulations and a theoretical model based on an equivalent circuit, we investigate the self-excitation of PSR oscillations and their effect on the electron heating in geometrically symmetric CCRF plasmas driven by multiple consecutive harmonics. The discharge symmetry is controlled via the electrical asymmetry effect (EAE), i.e. by varying the total number of harmonics and tuning the phase shifts between them. It is demonstrated that PSR oscillations will be self-excited under both symmetric and asymmetric conditions, if (i) the charge–voltage relation of the plasma sheaths deviates from a simple quadratic behavior and (ii) the inductance of the plasma bulk exhibits a temporal modulation. These two effects have been neglected up to now, but we show that they must be included in the model in order to properly describe the nonlinear series resonance circuit and reproduce the self-excitation of PSR oscillations, which are observed in the electron current density resulting from simulations of geometrically symmetric CCRF plasmas. Furthermore, the effect of PSR self-excitation on the discharge current and the plasma properties, such as the potential profile, is illustrated by applying Fourier analysis. High-frequency oscillations in the entire spectrum between the applied frequencies and the local electron plasma frequency are observed. As a consequence, the electron heating is strongly enhanced by the presence of PSR oscillations. A complex electron heating dynamics is found during the expansion phase of the sheath, which is fully collapsed, when the PSR is initially self-excited. The nonlinear electron resonance heating (NERH) associated with the PSR oscillations causes a spatial asymmetry in the electron heating. By discussing the resulting ionization

As adoption of electronic health records continues to increase, there is an opportunity to incorporate clinical documentation as well as laboratory values and demographics into risk prediction modeling. The authors develop a risk prediction model for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression from stage III to stage IV that includes longitudinal data and features drawn from clinical documentation. The study cohort consisted of 2908 primary-care clinic patients who had at least three visits prior to January 1, 2013 and developed CKD stage III during their documented history. Development and validation cohorts were randomly selected from this cohort and the study datasets included longitudinal inpatient and outpatient data from these populations. Time series analysis (Kalman filter) and survival analysis (Cox proportional hazards) were combined to produce a range of risk models. These models were evaluated using concordance, a discriminatory statistic. A risk model incorporating longitudinal data on clinical documentation and laboratory test results (concordance 0.849) predicts progression from state III CKD to stage IV CKD more accurately when compared to a similar model without laboratory test results (concordance 0.733, P

Summer Lecture Series 2009: The ultrafast motion of atoms and electrons lies at the heart of chemical reactions, advanced materials with exotic properties, and biological processes such as the first event in vision. Bob Schoenlein, Deputy Director for Science at the Advanced Light Source, will discuss how such processes are revealed by using laser pulses spanning a millionth of a billionth of a second, and how a new generation of light sources will bring the penetrating power of x-rays to the world of ultrafast science.

Reports the design for a principles-before-details presentation of electronics for an instrumental analysis class. Uses computers for data collection and simulations. Requires one semester with two 2.5-hour periods and two lectures per week. Includes lab and lecture syllabi. (MVL)

Full Text Available Turnera L. is arranged in 9 series. In this paper the revision of the species with floral nectar pockets is presented: series Anomalae Urb. and series Turnera. Within the latter 2 subseries are proposed, Turnera and Umbilicatae Arbo, differenciated upon morphology and cytogenetics. Series Anomalae has racemose inflorescences, the peduncle free or attached to the petiole, or sometimes lacking; series Turnera has 1-flowered epiphyllous inflorescences. Series Anomalae includes 14 species which live between 02-24ºS and 35-65ºW, in the Amazonian and Chaco forests, the following being new: T. amazonica, T. discors, T. involucrata, T. kuhlmanniana, T. laciniata, T. reginae, T. sancta and T. bahiensis var. truncata. Subseries Umbilicatae lives in Bahia and surroundings, up to 1600 m, it has 8 species being new T. coriacea var. solium. Subseries Turnera has a distribution similar to that of the genus as a whole, in a variety of environments; it has 19 species, 3 being new: T. campanulata, T. fernandezii and T. occidentalis; several species are weedy, 2 having reached the Old World. Keys, illustrations and distribution maps are provided.

Background Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) sales have grown rapidly in recent years, coinciding with a public perception that they are a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, there have been numerous media reports of fires associated with e-cigarette spontaneous combustion. Case Presentation Three severe burns caused by spontaneous combustion of e-cigarettes within a 6-month period were treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Burn Unit. Patients sustained partial a...

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) sales have grown rapidly in recent years, coinciding with a public perception that they are a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, there have been numerous media reports of fires associated with e-cigarette spontaneous combustion. Three severe burns caused by spontaneous combustion of e-cigarettes within a 6-month period were treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Burn Unit. Patients sustained partial and full-thickness burns. Two required hospitalization and surgical treatment. E-cigarettes are dangerous devices and have the potential to cause significant burns. Consumers and the general public should be made aware of these life-threatening devices.

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on density functional theory (DFT) approach and using a full potential linear augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Fe plans. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (010) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the high temperature series expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. The exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Fe–Fe in Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} are given using the mean field theory. The high temperature series expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility of with the magnetic moments, m{sub Fe} in Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} is given up to seventh order series in (1/k{sub B}T). The Néel temperature T{sub N} is obtained by HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility series combined with the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is deduced as well. - Highlights: • Ab initio calculations, based on DFT approach and FLAPW are used to study the electronic properties of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. • Magnetic moments of Fe{sub 1} and Fe{sub 2} are estimated to −/+3.44 µ{sub B}. • HTSE method is used to calculate the Néel temperature of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}.

Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to acetone is studied in terms of the absolute cross section for various fragment channels in the electron energy range of 0–20 eV. H − is found to be the most dominant fragment followed by O − and OH − with only one resonance peak between 8 and 9 eV. The DEA dynamics is studied by measuring the angular distribution and kinetic energy distribution of fragment anions using Velocity Slice Imaging technique. The kinetic energy and angular distribution of H − and O − fragments suggest a many body break-up for the lone resonance observed. The ab initio calculations show that electron is captured in the multi-centered anti-bonding molecular orbital which would lead to a many body break-up of the resonance

Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to acetone is studied in terms of the absolute cross section for various fragment channels in the electron energy range of 0–20 eV. H{sup −} is found to be the most dominant fragment followed by O{sup −} and OH{sup −} with only one resonance peak between 8 and 9 eV. The DEA dynamics is studied by measuring the angular distribution and kinetic energy distribution of fragment anions using Velocity Slice Imaging technique. The kinetic energy and angular distribution of H{sup −} and O{sup −} fragments suggest a many body break-up for the lone resonance observed. The ab initio calculations show that electron is captured in the multi-centered anti-bonding molecular orbital which would lead to a many body break-up of the resonance.

ITS is a powerful and user-friendly software package permitting state-of-the-art Monte Carlo solution of lineartime-independent coupled electron/photon radiation transport problems, with or without the presence of macroscopic electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary spatial dependence. Our goal has been to simultaneously maximize operational simplicity and physical accuracy. Through a set of preprocessor directives, the user selects one of the many ITS codes. The ease with which the makefile system is applied combines with an input scheme based on order-independent descriptive keywords that makes maximum use of defaults and internal error checking to provide experimentalists and theorists alike with a method for the routine but rigorous solution of sophisticated radiation transport problems. Physical rigor is provided by employing accurate cross sections, sampling distributions, and physical models for describing the production and transport of the electron/photon cascade from 1.0 GeV down to 1.0 keV. The availability of source code permits the more sophisticated user to tailor the codes to specific applications and to extend the capabilities of the codes to more complex applications. Version 6, the latest version of ITS, contains (1) improvements to the ITS 5.0 codes, and (2) conversion to Fortran 90. The general user friendliness of the software has been enhanced through memory allocation to reduce the need for users to modify and recompile the code.

In this paper, we synthesize three Re(I) complexes of Re(CO) 3 (PPO)Br, Re(CO) 3 (PTO)Br, and Re(CO) 3 (PBI)Br, where PPO=2-phenyl-5-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, PTO=2-(pyridin-2-yl)-5-p-tolyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole, PBI=2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole. Their single crystals and photophysical properties are measured and discussed in detail. The correlation between ligand structure and corresponding PL characteristics of Re(I) complex has been investigated. It is found that a ligand with strong electron-donor can efficiently increase both absorption and emissive energy of Re(I) complex. In addition, electron-rich ligand can increase the electron density of the complex and thus enhance the oscillator strength of electronic transition, improving the photoluminescence performance. - Highlights: ► Three novel phosphorescent Re(I) complexes are synthesized. ► Molecular structures, photophysical, and electronic properties are studied. ► Strong electron-donor can increase emissive energy. ► Electron-rich ligand can enhance the oscillator strength of electronic transition.

Provides background information on Rene Magritte and his work. Offers an activity in which elementary and middle school students can learn about Magritte's sky and silhouette series of painted wine bottles. Explains that the lesson should be used when students are learning about poetry in language arts classes. (CMK)

This paper addresses the concerns of Faraway and Chatfield (1998) who questioned the forecasting ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In particular the paper compares the performance of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and ARIMA models in forecasting of seasonal (monthly) Time series. Using the Airline data ...

Full Text Available A series of eight carbazole-cyanoacrylate based donor-acceptor dyes were studied. Within the series the influence of modifying the thiophene bridge, linking donor and acceptor and a change in the nature of the acceptor, from acid to ester, was explored. In this joint experimental and computational study we have used electronic absorbance and emission spectroscopies, Raman spectroscopy and computational modeling (density functional theory. From these studies it was found that extending the bridge length allowed the lowest energy transition to be systematically red shifted by 0.12 eV, allowing for limited tuning of the absorption of dyes using this structural motif. Using the aforementioned techniques we demonstrate that this transition is charge transfer in nature. Furthermore, the extent of charge transfer between donor and acceptor decreases with increasing bridge length and the bridge plays a smaller role in electronically mixing with the acceptor as it is extended.

Core electron binding energies in a series of 99m Tc complexes have been studied by internal conversion electron spectroscopy (ICES) in a conventional x-ray photoelectron spectrometer. In both 3d and 3p regions, a chemical shift of about 1 eV is observed per unit increase in oxidation state. The role of ICES in characterizing radiopharmaceutical agents is illustrated with studies of some novel 99m Tc-phosphine complexes that have been developed for myocardial perfusion imaging. (author)

A theoretical study of Scanning Tunneling Microscope control electronics is made. The knowledge of its behaviour allows us to determine accurately the region where the unstable operation could effect the measurements, and also to set the optimal working parameters. Each feedback circuitry compound is discussed as well as their mutual interaction. Different working conditions analysis and results are presented. (Author) 12 refs

Neural correlate of human inductive reasoning process is still unclear. Number series and letter series completion are two typical inductive reasoning tasks, and with a common core component of rule induction. Previous studies have demonstrated that different strategies are adopted in number series

During the operation of magnetic fusion devices it has been frequently observed that runaway electrons can cause severe damage to plasma facing components. The energy of the runaway electrons could possibly reach several 100 MeV in a next generation device with an energy content in the plasma in the order of 100 MJ. In this study effects of high energy electron - materials interaction were determined by laboratory experiments using particle beam facilities, i.e. the Electron Linear Accelerator of the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research of Osaka University and the 10 MW Neutral Beam Injection Test Stand of the National Institute for Fusion Science. The experiments and further analyses lead to a first assessment of the damage thresholds of plasma facing materials and components under runaway electron impact. It was found that metals (stainless steel, molybdenum, tungsten) showed grain growth, crack formation and/or melting already below the threshold for crack initiation on graphite (14-33 MJ/m 2 ). Strong erosion of carbon materials would occur above 100 MJ/m 2 . Damage to metal coolant channels can occur already below an energy deposition of 100 MJ/m 2 . The energy deposited in the metal coolant channels depends on the thickness of the plasma facing carbon material D, with the shielding efficiency S of carbon approximately as S∼D 1.15 . (author) 304 refs. 12 tabs. 59 figs

Electron clouds can develop in accelerators operating with positively charged particles. The con- sequences of e-cloud related effects are very important for the operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, and for the design of future accelerators including the LHC luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). High electron densities are generated by an interaction between the beam and the confining chamber. Primary electrons, that can be generated through various mecha- nisms, are accelerated by the beam and impinge on the chamber walls, thereby extracting more electrons from the material. Furthermore they also deposit their kinetic energy in the process, which has to be compensated by the cooling system. Especially in cryogenic environments, as it is the case for a large part of the LHC, high heat loads can pose a serious problem. In order to improve the understanding of the electron cloud, simulation studies are performed with the code PyECLOUD, developed at CERN. The work of the first half of the project is desc...

The technique of measuring the kinetic energy of electrons ejected from atomic or molecular species as a result of collisional energy transfer between a metastable excited rare gas atom and an atom or molecule is known as Penning ionization spectroscopy. Like the analogous photoionization process of photoelectron spectroscopy, a considerable amount of information has been gained about the ionization potentials of numerous molecular systems. It is, in fact, through the combined analyses of photoelectron and Penning electron spectra that affords a probe of the particle-particle interactions that occur in the Penning process. In this paper a short survey of the phenomenon of Penning ionization, as studied by electron spectroscopy, will be presented as it pertains to the ionization processes of simple molecules by metastable excited atoms. (author)

The mobility of tritium in Pd-alloys with Ag, V and Ni has been investigated by time-lag measurements, where the β-radiation of the tritium decay was taken as measuring signal; this method allows the determination of internal concentration shifts without disturbance by inhibiting effects of interface transfer. It has been found, that small additions of the alloying components do not change the activation energy of tritium diffusion; higher concentrations of Ag and V, however, lead to steep rises of the activation energy, whereas the isoelectronic Ni as alloying partner does not influence the activation energy within the limits of experimental error. For interpretation of the results the activation energy of diffusion is divided into a basic contribution of the Pd host lattice and an additional electronic term. This term is closely connected with the VEC, and can be calculated from the screening potential of the impurity atoms. The basic part of the activation energy can approximately be identified with the energy of elastic strain of the Pd lattice brought about by the diffusion jump. (orig.) [de

An image alignment method for electron tomography is presented which is based on cross-correlation techniques and which includes a simultaneous refinement of the tilt geometry. A coarsely aligned tilt series is iteratively refined with a procedure consisting of two steps for each cycle: area matching and subsequent geometry correction. The first step, area matching, brings into register equivalent specimen regions in all images of the tilt series. It determines four parameters of a linear two-dimensional transformation, not just translation and rotation as is done during the preceding coarse alignment with conventional methods. The refinement procedure also differs from earlier methods in that the alignment references are now computed from already aligned images by reprojection of a backprojected volume. The second step, geometry correction, refines the initially inaccurate estimates of the geometrical parameters, including the direction of the tilt axis, a tilt angle offset, and the inclination of the specimen with respect to the support film or specimen holder. The correction values serve as an indicator for the progress of the refinement. For each new iteration, the correction values are used to compute an updated set of geometry parameters by a least squares fit. Model calculations show that it is essential to refine the geometrical parameters as well as the accurate alignment of the images to obtain a faithful map of the original structure

Single-crystal copper was irradiated with 4.5-MeV electrons producing simple Frenkel defects as well as a significant concentration of divacancies. Mean positron lifetime characteristics, which are sensitive to the presence of vacancies and multivacancies in copper, was monitored after isochronal anneals between 80 and 800 0 K to determine the relative change of characteristic mean lifetimes and their associated intensities. Also a study of the dependence of the mean positron lifetime on the total electron fluence was made and compared with existing theories relating these lifetimes to vacancy or multivacancy concentrations. Numerical data from curve fitting procedures using a conventional trapping model for defect-induced changes in positron lifetimes indicate that upon irradiation with 4.5-MeV electrons at 80 0 K, about 8 percent of the defects produced are divacancy units. Divacancy units appear to be several times more effective in trapping positrons than are monovacancies. Further, the experimental data suggest that the stage III annealing processes in electron-irradiated copper most probably involve the motion and removal of both monovacancies and divacancies. A conglomerate (multivacancy) unit appears to exist as a stable entity even after annealing procedures are carried out at temperatures slightly above the stage III region. Such a stable unit could serve as a nucleation center for the appearance of voids

Uranium series measurements at a natural analogue site at Broubster, Caithness have been used to investigate radionuclide migration over periods ranging from several hundred to 10 6 years. The measured values for the uranium concentration and activity values 234 U/ 238 U and 230 Th/ 234 U indicate that the geochemical system is more complicated than that originally proposed of uranium dispersion and water transport into a peat bog. There appears to be little thorium mobility although there is evidence for an appreciable fraction of thorium on the colloidal phase. (author)

Uranium series measurements at a natural analogue site at Broubster, Caithness have been used to investigate radionuclide migration over a period of several hundred to 10 6 years. The measured values for the uranium concentration and activity ratios 234 U/ 238 U and 230 Th/ 234 U indicate that the geochemical system is more complicated than that originally proposed of uranium dispersion and water transport into a peat bog. There appears to be little thorium mobility although there is evidence for an appreciable fraction of thorium on the colloidal phases. (author)

This paper evidences the technical/economic feasibility of the use of methane fuelled modular cogeneration systems based on small series connected Otto or Diesel cycle engines delivering from 20 to 90 kW of power. Ample reference is made to the successful application of modular cogeneration systems to supply low temperature thermal energy to hospitals, hotels, food processing firms, etc., in Italy. The cost benefit analysis covers many aspects: design, manufacturing, operation, performance, maintenance and safety. Suggestions are also made as to optimum contractual arrangements for equipment service and maintenance, as well as, for the exchange of power with local utilities

The genesis of the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) upon which this volume is based, occurred during the summer of 1986 when we came to the realization that there had been significant progress during the early 1980's in the field of superconducting electronics and in applications of this technology. Despite this progress, there was a perception among many engineers and scientists that, with the possible exception of a limited number of esoteric fundamental studies and applications (e.g., the Josephson voltage standard or the SQUID magnetometer), there was no significant future for electronic systems incorporating superconducting elements. One of the major reasons for this perception was the aversion to handling liquid helium or including a closed-cycle helium liquefier. In addition, many critics felt that IBM's cancellation of its superconducting computer project in 1983 was "proof" that superconductors could not possibly compete with semiconductors in high-speed signal processing. From our persp...

The manufacture of ultra-large-scale-integrated circuits, requires a well collimated, specially uniform, high density plasma source operating under low pressure conditions. The main feed gases used are perfluorocarbons, however these are also strong greenhouse gases, therefore must be replaced by alternative compounds with low global warming potentials. CF 3 I is one possible replacement, due to its high photolysis rate, is expected to have a very short lifetime in the atmosphere. It is also predicted to be able to produced high yields of CF 3 radicals in any etching plasma, since its weak C - I bond should be possible to break by direct electron impact. Prior adapting existing industrial plasma reactors to use CF 3 I, it is necessary to run simulations of the reactant plasma, requiring a detailed database of the electron interactions with the feed gases, however such CF 3 I data does not exist. Thus an exhaustive series of experiments to measure elastic and inelastic scattering from CF 3 I including a study of its electronic state spectroscopy using photon absorption and electron scattering techniques were performed. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and photo-absorption spectroscopy were employed. A comprehensive set of differential cross sections for the elastic scattering CF 3 I over the impact energy region from 1.5 to 60 eV for scattering angles between 20 and 130 were compiled. The photo-absorption spectrum is characterized by three regions, the first is a very weak continuum around centered about 4.7 eV; the second consists of four prominent band structures observed around 7.4, 8.1, 9.0 and 9.8 eV, respectively, containing vibrational structure from 7 to 10 eV; the third (above the ionization potentials) could only be studied by using EELS and additional broad peaks were observed. (nevyjel)

Stochastic-media simulations require numerous boundary crossings. We consider two Monte Carlo electron transport approaches and evaluate accuracy with numerous material boundaries. In the condensed-history method, approximations are made based on infinite-medium solutions for multiple scattering over some track length. Typically, further approximations are employed for material-boundary crossings where infinite-medium solutions become invalid. We have previously explored an alternative 'condensed transport' formulation, a Generalized Boltzmann-Fokker-Planck (GBFP) method, which requires no special boundary treatment but instead uses approximations to the electron-scattering cross sections. Some limited capabilities for analog transport and a GBFP method have been implemented in the Integrated Tiger Series (ITS) codes. Improvements have been made to the condensed history algorithm. The performance of the ITS condensed-history and condensed-transport algorithms are assessed for material-boundary crossings. These assessments are made both by introducing artificial material boundaries and by comparison to analog Monte Carlo simulations. (authors)

This paper addresses the problem of detecting and characterizing local variability in time series and other forms of sequential data. The goal is to identify and characterize statistically significant variations, at the same time suppressing the inevitable corrupting observational errors. We present a simple nonparametric modeling technique and an algorithm implementing it-an improved and generalized version of Bayesian Blocks-that finds the optimal segmentation of the data in the observation interval. The structure of the algorithm allows it to be used in either a real-time trigger mode, or a retrospective mode. Maximum likelihood or marginal posterior functions to measure model fitness are presented for events, binned counts, and measurements at arbitrary times with known error distributions. Problems addressed include those connected with data gaps, variable exposure, extension to piecewise linear and piecewise exponential representations, multivariate time series data, analysis of variance, data on the circle, other data modes, and dispersed data. Simulations provide evidence that the detection efficiency for weak signals is close to a theoretical asymptotic limit derived by Arias-Castro et al. In the spirit of Reproducible Research all of the code and data necessary to reproduce all of the figures in this paper are included as supplementary material.

This paper addresses the problem of detecting and characterizing local variability in time series and other forms of sequential data. The goal is to identify and characterize statistically significant variations, at the same time suppressing the inevitable corrupting observational errors. We present a simple nonparametric modeling technique and an algorithm implementing it-an improved and generalized version of Bayesian Blocks [Scargle 1998]-that finds the optimal segmentation of the data in the observation interval. The structure of the algorithm allows it to be used in either a real-time trigger mode, or a retrospective mode. Maximum likelihood or marginal posterior functions to measure model fitness are presented for events, binned counts, and measurements at arbitrary times with known error distributions. Problems addressed include those connected with data gaps, variable exposure, extension to piece- wise linear and piecewise exponential representations, multivariate time series data, analysis of variance, data on the circle, other data modes, and dispersed data. Simulations provide evidence that the detection efficiency for weak signals is close to a theoretical asymptotic limit derived by [Arias-Castro, Donoho and Huo 2003]. In the spirit of Reproducible Research [Donoho et al. (2008)] all of the code and data necessary to reproduce all of the figures in this paper are included as auxiliary material.

This paper addresses the problem of detecting and characterizing local variability in time series and other forms of sequential data. The goal is to identify and characterize statistically significant variations, at the same time suppressing the inevitable corrupting observational errors. We present a simple nonparametric modeling technique and an algorithm implementing it—an improved and generalized version of Bayesian Blocks—that finds the optimal segmentation of the data in the observation interval. The structure of the algorithm allows it to be used in either a real-time trigger mode, or a retrospective mode. Maximum likelihood or marginal posterior functions to measure model fitness are presented for events, binned counts, and measurements at arbitrary times with known error distributions. Problems addressed include those connected with data gaps, variable exposure, extension to piecewise linear and piecewise exponential representations, multivariate time series data, analysis of variance, data on the circle, other data modes, and dispersed data. Simulations provide evidence that the detection efficiency for weak signals is close to a theoretical asymptotic limit derived by Arias-Castro et al. In the spirit of Reproducible Research all of the code and data necessary to reproduce all of the figures in this paper are included as supplementary material.

Highlights: • We estimate the possession and obsolescence of household appliances (HAs) in China. • Over 4.8–5.1 billion units of major HAs will be discarded in the next 20 years. • We calculate the amounts of substances contained in end-of-life (EoL) TV sets. • Less common metals will tend to decrease in content in generation of EoL TV sets. • Precious metals will tend to increase in content in EoL TV sets in 2015–2030. - Abstract: Given the amounts of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment (EoL-EEE) being generated and their contents of both harmful and valuable materials, the EoL-EEE issue should be regarded not only as an emerging environmental problem but also as a resource management strategy in China. At present, in order to provide the basis for managing EoL-EEE at both product and substance levels in China, it is necessary to carry out a quantitative analysis on EoL-EEE and to determine how much of it will be generated and how much materials and substances it contains. In this study, the possession and obsolescence amounts of five types of household appliance (HA) including television (TV) sets and the amounts of substances contained in EoL TV sets were estimated using time-series product flow analysis (PFA) and substance flow analysis (SFA). The results of PFA indicated that the total possession amounts of those five types of HAs will exceed 3.1 billion units in 2030, which will be two times higher than those in 2010. In addition, it was estimated that cumulatively over 4.8–5.1 billion units of these five types of EoL HA would be obsoleted between 2010–2030. The results of SFA on TV sets indicated that the generated amounts of most of the less common metals and a part of common metals such as copper (Cu) would tend to decrease, whereas those of other common metals such as iron (Fe) as well as precious metals would tend to increase in EoL TV sets in 2015–2030. The results of this study provide a quantitative basis for helping

Highlights: • We estimate the possession and obsolescence of household appliances (HAs) in China. • Over 4.8–5.1 billion units of major HAs will be discarded in the next 20 years. • We calculate the amounts of substances contained in end-of-life (EoL) TV sets. • Less common metals will tend to decrease in content in generation of EoL TV sets. • Precious metals will tend to increase in content in EoL TV sets in 2015–2030. - Abstract: Given the amounts of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment (EoL-EEE) being generated and their contents of both harmful and valuable materials, the EoL-EEE issue should be regarded not only as an emerging environmental problem but also as a resource management strategy in China. At present, in order to provide the basis for managing EoL-EEE at both product and substance levels in China, it is necessary to carry out a quantitative analysis on EoL-EEE and to determine how much of it will be generated and how much materials and substances it contains. In this study, the possession and obsolescence amounts of five types of household appliance (HA) including television (TV) sets and the amounts of substances contained in EoL TV sets were estimated using time-series product flow analysis (PFA) and substance flow analysis (SFA). The results of PFA indicated that the total possession amounts of those five types of HAs will exceed 3.1 billion units in 2030, which will be two times higher than those in 2010. In addition, it was estimated that cumulatively over 4.8–5.1 billion units of these five types of EoL HA would be obsoleted between 2010–2030. The results of SFA on TV sets indicated that the generated amounts of most of the less common metals and a part of common metals such as copper (Cu) would tend to decrease, whereas those of other common metals such as iron (Fe) as well as precious metals would tend to increase in EoL TV sets in 2015–2030. The results of this study provide a quantitative basis for helping

The aim of this study is to measure the application of prone compression study using compression paddle for obese patients in upper gastrointestinal series. Prone compression study using compression paddle was performed in fifty patients, who were not examined completely erect compression study for obesity. The radiographs of stomach were classified into the lower, middle, and high body, and then we gave five points included 'very poor', 'poor', 'suspicious', 'good', and 'complete' according to level of detection for area gastric and mucosal fold. Statistic analysis was performed using T-test and ANOVA, and confidence rate was fixed in 95%(P 0.05). As these results, the prone compression study in upper gastrointestinal series seem to be an useful study for obese patients, because it decreases pain and the feeling of uneasiness, and improve compression efficiency remarkably

Pulsed Electron Beam (REB) technology has progressed rapidly in recent years because of applications in various fields like radiation sources, high power laser development, plasma heating and fusion research. The REB development programme at the Plasma Physics Section of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, has been described. The design features of the 375 KV, 3500 A, 75 Joule REB generator are discussed. The diagnostic equipment developed for the studies is described. The present experimental studies and some preliminary results on beam characterisation are presented. (author)

There are a number of areas in psychology where an electronic spreadsheet simulator can be used to study and explore functional relationships among a number of parameters. For example, when dealing with sensation, perception, and pattern recognition, it is sometimes desirable for students to understand both the basic neurophysiology and the…

Direct measurement of autoionization lifetimes by using time-resolved experimental techniques is a promising approach when energy-resolved spectroscopic methods do not work. Attosecond time-resolved experiments have recently provided the first quantitative determination of autoionization lifetimes of the lowest members of the well-known Hopfield series of resonances in N 2 . In this work, we have used the recently developed XCHEM approach to study photoionization of the N 2 molecule in the vicinity of these resonances. The XCHEM approach allows us to describe electron correlation in the molecular electronic continuum at a level similar to that provided by multireference configuration interaction methods in bound state calculations, a necessary condition to accurately describe autoionization, shakeup, and interchannel couplings occurring in this range of photon energies. Our results show that electron correlation leading to interchannel mixing is the main factor that determines the magnitude and shape of the N 2 photoionization cross sections, as well as the lifetimes of the Hopfield resonances. At variance with recent speculations, nonadiabatic effects do not seem to play a significant role. These conclusions are supported by the very good agreement between the calculated cross sections and those determined in synchrotron radiation and attosecond experiments.

Full Text Available A comprehensive theoretical study was carried out on a series of aryldimesityl borane (DMB derivatives using Density Functional theory. Optimized geometries and electronic parameters like electron affinity, reorganization energy, frontiers molecular contours, polarizability and hyperpolarizability have been calculated by employing B3PW91/6-311++G (d, p level of theory. Our results show that the Hammett function and geometrical parameters correlates well with the reorganization energies and hyperpolarizability for the series of DMB derivatives studied in this work. The orbital energy study reveals that the electron releasing substituents increase the LUMO energies and electron withdrawing substituents decrease the LUMO energies, reflecting the electron transport character of aryldimesityl borane derivatives. From frontier molecular orbitals diagram it is evident that mesityl rings act as the donor, while the phenylene and Boron atom appear as acceptors in these systems. The calculated hyperpolarizability of secondary amine derivative of DMB is 40 times higher than DMB (1. The electronic excitation contributions to the hyperpolarizability studied by using TDDFT calculation shows that hyperpolarizability correlates well with dipole moment in ground and excited state and excitation energy in terms of the two-level model. Thus the results of these calculations can be helpful in designing the DMB derivatives for efficient electron transport and nonlinear optical material by appropriate substitution with electron releasing or withdrawing substituents on phenyl ring of DMB system.

The Monte Carlo simulation method is applied to study the relaxation of excited electrons in monolayer graphene. The presence of spin polarized background electrons population, with density corresponding to highly degenerate conditions is assumed. Formulas of electron-electron scattering rates, which properly account for electrons presence in two energetically degenerate, inequivalent valleys in this material are presented. The electron relaxation process can be divided into two phases: thermalization and cooling, which can be clearly distinguished when examining the standard deviation of electron energy distribution. The influence of the exchange effect in interactions between electrons with parallel spins is shown to be important only in transient conditions, especially during the thermalization phase.

Full Text Available Focusing on problems existing in track irregularity time series data quality, this paper first presents abnormal data identification, data offset correction algorithm, local outlier data identification, and noise cancellation algorithms. And then proposes track irregularity time series decomposition and reconstruction through the wavelet decomposition and reconstruction approach. Finally, the patterns and features of track irregularity standard deviation data sequence in unit sections are studied, and the changing trend of track irregularity time series is discovered and described.

Most of X-ray diffraction studies are devoted to the determination of three-dimensional crystal structures from the electron density distributions. In these cases the density distributions are described by the independent atom model (IAM model), which consists of a superposition of spherically averaged free atom densities, which are smeared by thermal vibrations. During the last few decades studies have been made into the deviations of the density distribution from the IAM model, which enables a study of the chemical binding between atoms. The total density can be described using pseudo-atom multipole models as a superposition of aspherical pseudo-atom densities. A fundamental problem is that the separation of this density into an IAM and a deformation part is not unique. This thesis considers the problem and besides deformation densities from X-ray diffraction also considers the corresponding deformation electric field and deformation potential. (C.F.)

3D reconstruction from serial 2D microscopy images depends on non-linear alignment of serial sections. For some structures, such as the neuronal circuitry of the brain, very large images at very high resolution are necessary to permit reconstruction. These very large images prevent the direct use of classical registration methods. We propose in this work a method to deal with the non-linear alignment of arbitrarily large 2D images using the finite support properties of cubic B-splines. After initial affine alignment, each large image is split into a grid of smaller overlapping sub-images, which are individually registered using cubic B-splines transformations. Inside the overlapping regions between neighboring sub-images, the coefficients of the knots controlling the B-splines deformations are blended, to create a virtual large grid of knots for the whole image. The sub-images are resampled individually, using the new coefficients, and assembled together into a final large aligned image. We evaluated the method on a series of large transmission electron microscopy images and our results indicate significant improvements compared to both manual and affine alignment.

The early and correct diagnosis of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections is critical given that early aggressive treatment with complete removal of the system along with antimicrobial therapy dramatically improves outcomes. Pocket infection manifested by local signs of inflammation is the most common form of CIED infections. Conditions mimicking pocket infection have been described in the literature. These include various types of malignancy and rarely allergic reactions/contact dermatitis to pacemaker compounds. We aimed to describe skin lesions and disorders over the pocket area that mimic CIED infection. We present a series of 5 cases with skin lesions that mimic pocket infection. We document these cases with corresponding photographs. Most of them have not been described in this setting. We report the following cases of conditions that proved not to be CIED infection: One case of superficial cellulitis, one case of herpes zoster over the pocket area, one case of spontaneous bruising over the pocket a long time after implantation in a patient taking oral anticoagulation, and 2 cases of contact dermatitis due to prolonged postoperative application of povidone iodine. All cases had favorable outcome after conservative treatment and no CIED infection was developed during follow-up. Clinicians should be aware of rare conditions that mimic CIED infection. Incorrect diagnosis of these disorders may falsely lead to CIED extraction. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Auger electron spectroscopy has been used to probe the electronic structure of ion bombardment (IB) cleaned surfaces of B 9 C and B 4 C samples. The shapes of the B-KVV and C-KVV Auger lines were found to be relatively insensitive to the bulk stoichiometry of the samples. This indicates that the local chemical environments surrounding B and C atoms, respectively, on the surfaces of the IB cleaned samples do not change appreciably in going from B 9 C to B 4 C. Fracturing the sample in situ is a way of producing a clean representative internal surface to compare with the IB surfaces. Microbeam techniques have been used to study a fracture surface of the B 9 C material with greater spatial resolution than in our studies of IB surfaces. The B 9 C fracture surface was not homogeneous and contained both C-rich and B-rich regions. The C-KVV line for the C-rich regions was graphitic in shape. Much of the C-rich regions was found by IB to be less than 100 nm in thickness. The C-KVV line from the B-rich regions was carbidic and did not differ appreciably in shape from those recorded for the IB cleaned surfaces

Full Text Available Cross-sectional study design is a type of observational study design. In a cross-sectional study, the investigator measures the outcome and the exposures in the study participants at the same time. Unlike in case–control studies (participants selected based on the outcome status or cohort studies (participants selected based on the exposure status, the participants in a cross-sectional study are just selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for the study. Once the participants have been selected for the study, the investigator follows the study to assess the exposure and the outcomes. Cross-sectional designs are used for population-based surveys and to assess the prevalence of diseases in clinic-based samples. These studies can usually be conducted relatively faster and are inexpensive. They may be conducted either before planning a cohort study or a baseline in a cohort study. These types of designs will give us information about the prevalence of outcomes or exposures; this information will be useful for designing the cohort study. However, since this is a 1-time measurement of exposure and outcome, it is difficult to derive causal relationships from cross-sectional analysis. We can estimate the prevalence of disease in cross-sectional studies. Furthermore, we will also be able to estimate the odds ratios to study the association between exposure and the outcomes in this design.

Cross-sectional study design is a type of observational study design. In a cross-sectional study, the investigator measures the outcome and the exposures in the study participants at the same time. Unlike in case-control studies (participants selected based on the outcome status) or cohort studies (participants selected based on the exposure status), the participants in a cross-sectional study are just selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for the study. Once the participants have been selected for the study, the investigator follows the study to assess the exposure and the outcomes. Cross-sectional designs are used for population-based surveys and to assess the prevalence of diseases in clinic-based samples. These studies can usually be conducted relatively faster and are inexpensive. They may be conducted either before planning a cohort study or a baseline in a cohort study. These types of designs will give us information about the prevalence of outcomes or exposures; this information will be useful for designing the cohort study. However, since this is a 1-time measurement of exposure and outcome, it is difficult to derive causal relationships from cross-sectional analysis. We can estimate the prevalence of disease in cross-sectional studies. Furthermore, we will also be able to estimate the odds ratios to study the association between exposure and the outcomes in this design.

Dendrimers are nanomaterials that have many potential applications in medicine, including diagnosis and therapeutic procedures. Dendrimers are isomolecular polymers, with a very well controlled architecture and a thousand times smaller than cells. Dendrimers containing biocatalysts are of great interest for clinical applications in biosensors because of the way in which their chemical and electric conduction mechanism can be tailored. In this work, the polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM) of generation 4 was synthesized by divergent route and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. The electronic transport properties of PAMAM in a metal-polymer type heterojunction were studied. The electrical conduction mechanism of PAMAM studied in the temperature range of 291-323 K indicates a conduction mechanism thermally activated. (author)

The beryllium oxide is studied first by fractography, before and after irradiation, using sintered samples. The fractures are examined under different aspects. The higher density sintered samples, with transgranular fractures are the most interesting for a microscopic study. It is possible to mark the difference between the 'pores' left by the sintering process and the 'bubbles' of gases that can be produced by former thermal treatments. After irradiation, the grain boundaries are very much weakened. By annealing, it is possible to observe the evolution of the gases produced by the reaction (n, 2n) and (n. α) and gathered on the grain boundaries. The irradiated beryllium oxide is afterwards studied by transmission. For that, a simple method has been used: little chips of the crushed material are examined. Clusters of point defects produced by neutrons are thus detected in crystals irradiated at the three following doses: 6 x 10 19 , 9 x 10 19 and 2 x 10 20 n f cm -2 at a temperature below 100 deg. C. For the irradiation at 6 x 10 19 n f cm -2 , the defects are merely visible, but at 2 x l0 20 n f cm -2 the crystals an crowded with clusters and the Kikuchi lines have disappeared from the micro-diffraction diagrams. The evolution of the clusters into dislocation loops is studied by a series of annealings. The activation energy (0,37 eV) calculated from the annealing curves suggests that it must be interstitials that condense into dislocation loops. Samples irradiated at high temperatures (650, 900 and 1100 deg. C) are also studied. In those specimens the size of the loops is not the same as the equilibrium size obtained after out of pile annealing at the same temperature. Those former loops are more specifically studied and their Burgers vector is determined by micro-diffraction. (author) [fr

Case-Control study design is a type of observational study. In this design, participants are selected for the study based on their outcome status. Thus, some participants have the outcome of interest (referred to as cases), whereas others do not have the outcome of interest (referred to as controls). The investigator then assesses the exposure in both these groups. The investigator should define the cases as specifically as possible. Sometimes, definition of a disease may be based on multiple criteria; thus, all these points should be explicitly stated in case definition. An important aspect of selecting a control is that they should be from the same 'study base' as that of the cases. We can select controls from a variety of groups. Some of them are: General population; relatives or friends; and hospital patients. Matching is often used in case-control control studies to ensure that the cases and controls are similar in certain characteristics, and it is a useful technique to increase the efficiency of the study. Case-Control studies can usually be conducted relatively faster and are inexpensive - particularly when compared with cohort studies (prospective). It is useful to study rare outcomes and outcomes with long latent periods. This design is not very useful to study rare exposures. Furthermore, they may also be prone to certain biases - selection bias and recall bias.

Teaching enquiry methods, that is, skills concerned with constructing knowledge from available information and searching for new information, is the subject of this study, which provides a background to the subject as well as a review of research. The study sought to answer the question of whether problem-solving performances of primary school…

In this module, we have discussed study designs that have not been covered in the previous modules - ecologic studies and natural experiments. In an ecologic study, the unit of analysis is a group or aggregate rather than the individual. It may be the characteristics of districts, states, or countries. For example, per capita income across countries, income quintiles across districts, and proportion of college graduates in states. If the data already exist (such as global measures and prevalence of diseases, data sets such as the National Family Health Survey, census data), then ecologic studies are cheap and data are easy to collect. However, one needs to be aware of the "ecologic fallacy." The researcher should not interpret ecologic level results at the individual level. In "natural experiments," the researcher does not assign the exposure (as is the case in interventional studies) to the groups in the study. The exposure is assigned by a natural process. This may be due to existing policies or services (example, one city has laws against specific vehicles and the other city does not); changes in services or policies; or introduction of new laws (such helmet for bikers and seat-belts for cars). We would like to encourage researchers to explore the possibility of using these study designs to conduct studies.

Optical and electron optical (SEM, TEM, AEM) techniques were employed to investigate the fine structure of eight ataxite-iron meteorites. Structural studies indicated that the ataxites can be divided into two groups: a Widmanstaetten decomposition group and a martensite decomposition group. The Widmanstaetten decomposition group has a Type I plessite microstructure and the central taenite regions contain highly dislocated lath martensite. The steep M shaped Ni gradients in the taenite are consistent with the fast cooling rates, of not less than 500 C/my, observed for this group. The martensite decomposition group has a Type III plessite microstructure and contains all the chemical group IVB ataxites. The maximum taenite Ni contents vary from 47.5 to 52.7 wt % and are consistent with slow cooling to low temperatures of not greater than 350 C at cooling rates of not greater than 25 C/my.

For the past seven years, this group has been interested in the study of tests of the Standard Model of Electroweak interactions. The program has centered about the AMY experiment which examines the nature of the final state products in electron-positron collisions in the center of mass energy range near 60 GeV. Results of these measurements have shown a remarkable consistency with the predictions of the minimal model of 3 quark and lepton generations and single charged and neutral intermediate bosons. No new particles or excited states have been observed nor has any evidence for departures in cross sections or angular asymmetries from expectations been observed. These conclusions have been even more firmly established by the higher energy results from the LEP and SLC colliders at center of mass energies of about 90 GeV. Our focus is shifting to the neutrino as a probe to electroweak interactions. The relative merit of attempting to observe neutrinos from point sources versus observing neutrinos generally is not easy to predict. The improved ability to interpret is offset by the probably episodic nature of the emission and irreproducibility of the results. In this phase of development, it is best to be sensitive to both sources of neutrinos. As a second phase of our program at Virginia Tech, we are studying the feasibility of detecting cosmic ray neutrinos in a proposed experiment which we have called NOVA. the results of the test setup will be instrumental in developing an optimum design. A third program we are involved in is the MEGA experiment at Los Alamos, an experiment to place a limit on the rate of muon decay to electron plus photon which is forbidden by the Standard Model

This paper studies the multiscale entropy (MSE) of electrocardiogram's ST segment and compares the MSE results of ST segment with that of electrocardiogram in the first time. Electrocardiogram complexity changing characteristics has important clinical significance for early diagnosis. Study shows that the average MSE values and the varying scope fluctuation could be more effective to reveal the heart health status. Particularly the multiscale values varying scope fluctuation is a more sensitive parameter for early heart disease detection and has a clinical diagnostic significance. (general)

In this thesis electron and impurity transport are studied in the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) located at CRPP-EPFL in Lausanne. Understanding particle transport is primordial for future nuclear fusion power plants. Modeling of experiments in many specific plasma scenarios can help to understand the common elements of the physics at play and to interpret apparently contradictory experiments on the same machine and across different machines. The first part of this thesis deals with electron transport in TCV high confinement mode plasmas. It was observed that the electron density profile in these plasmas flatten when intense electron heating is applied, in contrast to observations on other machines where the increase of the profile peakedness was reported. It is shown with quasi-linear gyrokinetic simulations that this effect, usually interpreted as collisionality dependence, stems from the combined effect of many plasma parameters. The influence of the collisionality, electron to ion temperature ratio, the ratio of temperature gradients, and the Ware-pinch are studied with detailed parameter scans. It is shown that the complex interdependence of the various plasma parameters is greatly simplified when the simulation results are interpreted as a function of the average frequency of the main modes contributing to radial transport. In this way the model is able to explain the experimental results. It was also shown that the same basic understanding is at play in L-modes, H-modes and electron internal transport barriers. The second part of the thesis is devoted to impurity transport. A multi-purpose gas injection system is developed, commissioned and calibrated. It is shown that the system is capable of massive gas injections to provoke disruptions and delivering small puffs of gaseous impurities for perturbative transport experiments. This flexible tool is exploited in a series of impurity transport measurements with argon and neon injections. The impurities

In this thesis electron and impurity transport are studied in the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) located at CRPP-EPFL in Lausanne. Understanding particle transport is primordial for future nuclear fusion power plants. Modeling of experiments in many specific plasma scenarios can help to understand the common elements of the physics at play and to interpret apparently contradictory experiments on the same machine and across different machines. The first part of this thesis deals with electron transport in TCV high confinement mode plasmas. It was observed that the electron density profile in these plasmas flatten when intense electron heating is applied, in contrast to observations on other machines where the increase of the profile peakedness was reported. It is shown with quasi-linear gyrokinetic simulations that this effect, usually interpreted as collisionality dependence, stems from the combined effect of many plasma parameters. The influence of the collisionality, electron to ion temperature ratio, the ratio of temperature gradients, and the Ware-pinch are studied with detailed parameter scans. It is shown that the complex interdependence of the various plasma parameters is greatly simplified when the simulation results are interpreted as a function of the average frequency of the main modes contributing to radial transport. In this way the model is able to explain the experimental results. It was also shown that the same basic understanding is at play in L-modes, H-modes and electron internal transport barriers. The second part of the thesis is devoted to impurity transport. A multi-purpose gas injection system is developed, commissioned and calibrated. It is shown that the system is capable of massive gas injections to provoke disruptions and delivering small puffs of gaseous impurities for perturbative transport experiments. This flexible tool is exploited in a series of impurity transport measurements with argon and neon injections. The impurities

The electronic structure of fullerites and fullerides has been investigated by high-resolution photoemission and by high-energy electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. Information on the occupied Π and σ bands, on the unoccupied Π * and σ * bands, and on the joint density of states has been obtained. In particular, we report on the changes of the electronic structure of fullerides as a function of dopant concentration. (orig.)

In spite of little improvement in the post‐socialist era, the share of private investment in GDP has never been above 6 percent even until 2003. Yet, the reasons behind the weak performance have not been well studied. Hence, investigating the performance trend and maim constraints of private investment in Ethiopia ...

Dr J. J. Smith is best known by his studies about Orchidaceae. But since 1904 he published regularly in collaboration with Dr J. C. Costerus in the ”Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg“, the results of their researches in teratology of tropical plants. Some years ago, Dr J. J. Smith was so

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This document profiles recent successful examples of students studying and working abroad as part of the European Commission's Leonardo da Vinci program, which is designed to give students across the European Union the opportunity to experience vocational training in a foreign country. The following examples are presented: (1) 3 Finnish students…

Springs are used for a wide range of applications in physics and engineering. Possibly, one of their most common uses is to study the nature of restoring forces in oscillatory systems. While experiments that verify Hooke's law using springs are abundant in the physics literature, those that explore the combination of several springs together are…

Precise modeling of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) is a critical aspect of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services intended for the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) applications as well as Earth Observation System (EOS), satellite communication, and space weather forecasting applications. In this paper, linear time series modeling has been carried out on ionospheric TEC at two different locations at Koneru Lakshmaiah University (KLU), Guntur (geographic 16.44° N, 80.62° E; geomagnetic 7.55° N) and Bangalore (geographic 12.97° N, 77.59° E; geomagnetic 4.53° N) at the northern low-latitude region, for the year 2013 in the 24th solar cycle. The impact of the solar and geomagnetic activity on periodic oscillations of TEC has been investigated. Results confirm that the correlation coefficient of the estimated TEC from the linear model TEC and the observed GPS-TEC is around 93%. Solar activity is the key component that influences ionospheric daily averaged TEC while periodic component reveals the seasonal dependency of TEC. Furthermore, it is observed that the influence of geomagnetic activity component on TEC is different at both the latitudes. The accuracy of the model has been assessed by comparing the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) 2012 model TEC and TEC measurements. Moreover, the absence of winter anomaly is remarkable, as determined by the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the linear model TEC and GPS-TEC. On the contrary, the IRI2012 model TEC evidently failed to predict the absence of winter anomaly in the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) crest region. The outcome of this work will be useful for improving the ionospheric now-casting models under various geophysical conditions.

To evaluate the impact of electronic health record (EHR) implementation on nursing care processes and outcomes. Interrupted time series analysis, 2003-2009. A large US not-for-profit integrated health care organization. 29 hospitals in Northern and Southern California. An integrated EHR including computerized physician order entry, nursing documentation, risk assessment tools, and documentation tools. Percentage of patients with completed risk assessments for hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) and falls (process measures) and rates of HAPU and falls (outcome measures). EHR implementation was significantly associated with an increase in documentation rates for HAPU risk (coefficient 2.21, 95% CI 0.67 to 3.75); the increase for fall risk was not statistically significant (0.36; -3.58 to 4.30). EHR implementation was associated with a 13% decrease in HAPU rates (coefficient -0.76, 95% CI -1.37 to -0.16) but no decrease in fall rates (-0.091; -0.29 to 0.11). Irrespective of EHR implementation, HAPU rates decreased significantly over time (-0.16; -0.20 to -0.13), while fall rates did not (0.0052; -0.01 to 0.02). Hospital region was a significant predictor of variation for both HAPU (0.72; 0.30 to 1.14) and fall rates (0.57; 0.41 to 0.72). The introduction of an integrated EHR was associated with a reduction in the number of HAPUs but not in patient fall rates. Other factors, such as changes over time and hospital region, were also associated with variation in outcomes. The findings suggest that EHR impact on nursing care processes and outcomes is dependent on a number of factors that should be further explored.

Case series (CS) are well-known designs in contemporary use in neurosurgery but are sometimes used in contexts that are incompatible with their true meaning as defined by epidemiologists. This inconsistent, inappropriate and incorrect use, and mislabeling impairs the appropriate indexing and sorting of evidence. Using PubMed, we systematically identified published articles that had "case series" in the "title" in 15 top-ranked neurosurgical journals from January 2008 to December 2012. The abstracts and/or full articles were scanned to identify those with descriptions of the principal method as being "case series" and then classified as "true case series" or "non-case series" by two independent investigators with 100 % inter-rater agreement. Sixty-four articles had the label "case series" in their "titles." Based on the definition of "case series" and our appraisal of the articles using Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines, 18 articles (28.13 %) were true case series, while 46 (71.87 %) were mislabeled. Thirty-five articles (54.69 %) mistook retrospective (descriptive) cohorts for CS. CS are descriptive with an outcome-based sampling, while "descriptive cohorts" have an exposure-based sampling of patients, followed over time to assess outcome(s). A comparison group is not a defining feature of a cohort study and distinguishes descriptive from analytic cohorts. A distinction between a case report, case series, and descriptive cohorts is absolutely necessary to enable the appropriate indexing, sorting, and application of evidence. Researchers need better training in methods and terminology, and editors and reviewers should scrutinize more carefully manuscripts claiming to be "case series" studies.

High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has been used to investigate a number of zeolites (EMT, FAU, LTL, MFI and MOR) and a member of the mesoporous M41S family. The electron optical artefact, manifested as a dark spot in the projected centre of the large zeolite channels, caused by insufficient transfer of certain reflections in the objective lens has been explained. The artefact severely hinders observation of materials confined in the zeolite channels and cavities. It is shown how to circumvent the artefact problem and how to image confined materials in spite of disturbance caused by the artefact. Image processing by means of a Wiener filter has been applied for removal of the artefact. The detailed surface structure of FAU has been investigated. Comparison of experimental micrographs with images simulated using different surface models indicates that the surface can be terminated in different ways depending on synthesis methods. The dealuminated form of FAU (USY) is covered by an amorphous region. Platinum incorporated in FAU has a preponderance to aggregate in the (111) twin planes, probably due to a local difference in cage structure with more spacious cages. It is shown that platinum is intra-zeolitic as opposed to being located on the external surface of the zeolite crystal. This could be deduced from tomography of ultra-thin sections among observations. HRTEM studies of the mesoporous MCM-41 show that the pores have a hexagonal shape and also supports the mechanistic model proposed which involves a cooperative formation of a mesophase including the silicate species as well as the surfactant. 66 refs, 24 figs

Full Text Available Dental wear can be differentiated into different types on the basis of morphological and etiological factors. The present research was carried out on twelve extracted human teeth with dental wear (three teeth showing each type of wear: erosion, attrition, abrasion, and abfraction studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The study aimed, through analysis of the macro- and micromorphological features of the lesions (considering the enamel, dentin, enamel prisms, dentinal tubules, and pulp, to clarify the different clinical and diagnostic presentations of dental wear and their possible significance. Our results, which confirm current knowledge, provide a complete overview of the distinctive morphology of each lesion type. It is important to identify the type of dental wear lesion in order to recognize the contributing etiological factors and, consequently, identify other more complex, nondental disorders (such as gastroesophageal reflux, eating disorders. It is clear that each type of lesion has a specific morphology and mechanism, and further clinical studies are needed to clarify the etiological processes, particularly those underlying the onset of abfraction.

Full Text Available Brain metastases (BM are one of the most common intracranial tumors and surgical treatment can improve both the functional outcomes and patient survival, particularly when systemic disease is controlled. Image-guided BM resection using intraoperative exams, such as intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS, can lead to better surgical results. METHODS: To evaluate the use of IOUS for BM resection, 20 consecutives patients were operated using IOUS to locate tumors, identify their anatomical relationships and surgical cavity after resection. Technical difficulties, complications, recurrence and survival rates were noted. RESULTS: IOUS proved effective for locating, determining borders and defining the anatomical relationships of BM, as well as to identify incomplete tumor resection. No complications related to IOUS were seen. CONCLUSION: IOUS is a practical supporting method for the resection of BM, but further studies comparing this method with other intraoperative exams are needed to evaluate its actual contribution and reliability.

Due to state planning requirements and federal landfill regulations, solid waste management in rural areas (particularly recycling) has received much attention in recent years. The growth of recycling during the 1980s occurred mainly in urban and suburban areas. Therefore, rural recycling is still a relatively new enterprise. This report presents several rural recycling case studies from Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Ontario, Canada to provide examples of successes and problems. This report also discusses the current issues of cooperative marketing of recyclables and municipal solid waste flow control. With respect to recycling, a rural region does not have ready access to markets for collected materials and has difficulty in generating easily marketable quantities of recyclables. (Copyright (c) 1994 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.)

Full Text Available Introduction: Natural and unexpected death that happens within less than one hour of first symptom occurrence is called sudden death. Cardiovascular diseases are the main known reason of sudden death and more than 75% of sudden deaths in athletes are assigned to it. Here we reported the autopsy results of all cases with sudden death following exercise that were referred to forensic center of Tehran, Iran, from 2009 to 2014. Methods: In this cross sectional study all subjects who were registered to forensic medicine center of Tehran, Iran, from 2009 to 2014, as a case of sudden death following exercise were evaluated. Demographic data and medical history as well as autopsy and toxicology findings were retrospectively gathered using profiles of the deceased. Results were reported using descriptive analysis. Results: 14 cases were registered as sudden death following exercise in forensic medicine profiles during the study period. Exploring the files of the mentioned deceased, revealed five non-compatible cases in this regard. Finally, 9 eligible cases were enrolled (88.9% male. The mean age of the deceased was 28.66 ± 10.86 years (range: 7 – 40. Toxicological tests were available for 7 cases, one of which was positive for tramadol. Sudden death following football was reported most frequently (44.4%. Only 3 (33.3% cases had herald signs such as chest pain, syncope, or loss of consciousness. 1 case (11.11% had a positive history of sudden death in relatives. Conclusion: Although most sudden death victims are asymptomatic until the event, all those who suffer from symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue and irregular heart rate during physical activities, should be screened regarding common probable causes of sudden death.

The objective of this study was to report on the survival rate of 16 patients treated with extraoral implants in the auricular region, analyze treatment outcomes, and discuss important clinical variables encountered during treatment. Sixteen patients who received extraoral dental implants to retain auricular prostheses between 1987 and 2003 were followed retrospectively. The variables recorded were gender, initial diagnosis, number and size of implants, implant placement date, age at implant placement, history of radiation to the treated field, abutment size, design of initial prosthesis, age of initial prosthesis (when a remake was indicated), date of prosthesis delivery, soft tissue response, grafting procedure, date of last follow-up, and complications. All patients were thoroughly evaluated presurgically by the reconstruction team, which consisted of prosthodontists, a facial prosthetist, and an otolaryngologist. Surgical templates were used for all patients. The criteria for success of the prostheses included marginal accuracy, overall stability and function, symmetry/position, texture, color stability, and patient acceptance. Thirty-nine implants were placed in 16 patients. All 16 patients were completely satisfied with their reconstructions. No surgical complications, implant failures, or prosthetic failures were encountered. Therefore, the survival rate was 100%. Three patients (18.75%) had grade 0, seven (43.75%) had grade 1, five (31.25%) had grade 2, and one (6.25%) had grade 3 soft tissue inflammation. The inflammation completely resolved in 7 of the 13 patients (54%) with hygiene reinforcement or soft tissue reduction. The survival rate for bone-anchored titanium implants and prostheses was 100%. Bone-anchored titanium implants provided the 16 patients in this study with a safe, reliable, adhesive-free method to anchor auricular prostheses with recovery of normal appearance. Under the guidance of an appropriate implant team, proper positioning of

Measurement of energetic electrons in the auroral zone have proved to be one of the most useful tools in investigating the phenomena of auroral arc formation. This dissertation presents a detailed analysis of the electron data from two sounding rocket campaigns and interprets the measurements in terms of existing auroral models. The Polar Cusp campaign consisted of a single rocket launched from Cape Parry, Canada into the afternoon auroral zone at 1:31:13 UT on January 21, 1982. The results include the measurement of a narrow, magnetic field aligned electron flux at the edge of an arc. This electron precipitation was found to have a remarkably constant 1.2 eV temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field over a 200 to 900 eV energy range. The payload also made simultaneous measurements of both energetic electrons and 3-MHz plasma waves in an auroral arc. Analysis has shown that the waves are propagating in the upper hybrid band and should be generated by a positive slope in the parallel electron distribution. A correlation was found between the 3-MHz waves and small positive slopes in the parallel electron distribution but experimental uncertainties in the electron measurement were large enough to influence the analysis. The BIDARCA campaign consisted of two sounding rockets launched from Poker Flat and Fort Yukon, Alaska at 9:09:00 UT and 9:10:40 UT on February 7, 1984

Photoemission experiments (whereby an electron absorbs a packet of light energy and is able to escape from the host material due to its increased energy) can measure directly the energy distribution of electrons in various materials. Our measurements on a recently-discovered class of metallic materials called ''heavy fermions'' show that the electrons that actually carry the electric current in these metals exist only within an extremely narrow range of energies. This range, which we will call the bandwidth, is narrower than that found in ordinary metals like copper by at least a factor of 10. Indeed it is surprising that they can carry electric current at all since such narrow energy ranges (or band widths) are characteristic of electrons confined to their host atoms, as in a non-metal, rather than of electrons that are free to wander through a metal. 8 refs

resistance through detection and resonant controller, the series active damper can suppress the resonance with its external damping character in closed-loop damping character are carried out. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed series active damper....

A patient had an unusual pigmentary disease induced by titanium dioxide. The use of a topical cream containing titanium dioxide caused a xanthomalike appearance on the patient's penis. Electron probe microanalysis was valuable in establishing the cause of this balanitis

This is the final report for the DOE-sponsored experimental particle physics program at Virginia Tech to study the properties of the Standard Model of strong and electroweak interactions. This contract (DE-AS05-80ER10713) covers the period from August 1, 1980 to January 31, 1993. Task B of this contract, headed by Professor Alexander Abashian, is described in this final report. This program has been pursued on many fronts by the researchers-in a search for axions at SLAC, in electron-positron collisions in the AMY experiment at the TRISTAN collider in Japan, in measurements of muon decay properties in the MEGA and RHO experiments at the LAMPF accelerator, in a detailed analysis of scattering effects in the purported observation of a 17 keV neutrino at Oxford, in a search for a disoriented chiral condensate with the MiniMax experiment at Fermilab, and in an R ampersand D program on resistive plate counters that could find use in low-cost high-quality charged particle detection at low rates

A platform for sliding vane pump and centrifugal pump tests is installed to study the series operation of them under different characteristics of pipeline. Firstly, the sliding vane pump and the centrifugal pump work independently, and the performance is recorded. Then, the two types of pumps are combined together, with the sliding vane pump acting as the feeding pump. Comparison is made between the performance of the independently working pump and the performance of series operation pump. Re...

We present an alternative optical emission spectroscopy method to measure the plasma electron density from the difference of widths of two Balmer series hydrogen lines (H{sub α} and H{sub β}), especially convenient for non-thermal plasmas since with this method, there is no need to know either the gas temperature or the van der Waals contribution to the Lorentzian part of the line. In this paper it has been assumed that the part of full width at half maximum due to Stark broadening can be determined with the approximation of Lorentzian line shape. The method has been applied to the determination of the electron density in an argon microwave-induced plasma maintained at atmospheric pressure, and comparison with the results obtained using other diagnostic methods has been done. - Highlights: • An alternative method to measure the electron density in plasmas from two Balmer series hydrogen lines (H{sub α} and H{sub β}) is presented. • The method is very convenient for plasmas with electron densities of the order of 10{sup 14} cm{sup −3} and above, at low gas temperatures. • It has been applied to the determination of the electron density of an argon microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure. • Results from it are in good agreement with previous ones obtained using other diagnostic methods.

To compare the radiographic features of two series of congenital clubfeet to determine whether a different treatment protocol may influence the radiographic results at the end of skeletal growth. Two series of patients with congenital clubfeet, treated by two different manipulative techniques and by two different complementary soft tissue release operations, were radiographically studied at skeletal maturity. Twenty-one normal feet of the unilateral cases in both series served as controls. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the feet were taken with the patient standing, and several radiographic parameters were studied. The size of the talus and calcaneus and the height of the talar trochlea were smaller than normal in all cases of clubfeet, were similar in both series and were not influenced by treatment, whereas all the other radiographic parameters studied were more or less different between the two series and seemed to be influenced by treatment. In no treated clubfoot of either series was a normal radiographic foot anatomy restored, not even in those feet that had an excellent clinical result. (orig.)

To compare the radiographic features of two series of congenital clubfeet to determine whether a different treatment protocol may influence the radiographic results at the end of skeletal growth. Two series of patients with congenital clubfeet, treated by two different manipulative techniques and by two different complementary soft tissue release operations, were radiographically studied at skeletal maturity. Twenty-one normal feet of the unilateral cases in both series served as controls. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the feet were taken with the patient standing, and several radiographic parameters were studied. The size of the talus and calcaneus and the height of the talar trochlea were smaller than normal in all cases of clubfeet, were similar in both series and were not influenced by treatment, whereas all the other radiographic parameters studied were more or less different between the two series and seemed to be influenced by treatment. In no treated clubfoot of either series was a normal radiographic foot anatomy restored, not even in those feet that had an excellent clinical result. (orig.)

During LHC beam commissioning with 150, 75 and 50-ns bunch spacing, important electron-cloud effects, like pressure rise, cryogenic heat load, beam instabilities or emittance growth, were observed. The main strategy to combat the LHC electron cloud, defined about ten years ago, relies on the surface conditioning arising from the chamber-surface bombardment with cloud electrons. In a standard model, the conditioning state of the beam-pipe surface is characterized by three parameters: 1. most importantly, the secondary emission yield δmax; 2. the incident electron energy at which the yield is maximum, ε_max; and 3. the probability of elastic reflection of low-energy primary electrons hitting the chamber wall, R. Since at the LHC no in-situ secondary-yield measurements are available, we compare the relative local pressure-rise measurements taken for different beam configurations against simulations in which surface parameters are scanned. This benchmarking of measurements and simulations is used to infer the s...

It is urgently required to clarify the physical meaning of the quasi-elastic scattering associated with the background, in order to develop rapidly the study of giant resonance. The experimental works performed in the present term aimed at the synthetic understanding of both giant resonance and quasi-elastic scattering, and presented the possibility of the separability of giant resonance from quasi-elastic scattering. The object of this experiment was to measure higher order multi-pole moment of 51 V by using relatively high energy electron beam. Targets of chemically pure 51 V had thickness of 68.2 or 100.5 mg/cm 2 . The measurement was made at the position where scattering angle was 155 0 . The state of M7 can be well explained by the model with (fsub(7/2)) 3 coordination. This may be because the nuclei with stretched configuration such as 51 V do not have any contribution of orbital motion, but have the contribution of eigen magnetic moment to the highest multiplicity. States of M3 and M5 are a little complicated. Since in the experimental equipment used, the contribution of charge distribution was so large, that it was difficult to make the precision measurement of M3 and M5. In 51 V, however, it can be considered that M3 and M5 decreased by the contribution of 2Psub(3/2) and 1fsub(5/2). On the other hand, there is no contribution from these energy states to M7. (Tai, I.)

The nature of defects resulting from the implantation of phosphorous ions into doped silicon and a model of how they form are reported. This involved an electron microscope study of the crystallographic defects (in the 300A size range in concentration of 10 15 /cm 3 ) that form upon annealing. Images formed by these crystallographic defects are complex and that nonconventional imaging techniques are required for their characterization. The images of these small defects (about 300A) are sensitive to various parameters, such as foil thickness, their position in the foil, and diffracting conditions. The defects were found to be mostly interstitial hexagonal Frank loops lying on the four [111] planes and a few perfect interstitial loops; these loops occurred in concentrations of about 10 16 /cm 3 . In addition, ''rod like'' linear defects that are shown to be interstitial are also found in concentrations of 10 13 /cm 3 . It was found that the linear defects require boron for their formation. A model is proposed to account for the interstitial defects. The number of point defects that make up the defects is of the same order as the number of implanted ions. The model predicts that only interstitial loops ought to be observed in agreement with several recent investigations. Dislocation models of the loops are examined and it is shown that phosphorous ions could segregate to the Frank loops, changing their displacement vectors to a/x[111]. (x greater than 3) thus explaining the contrast effects observed. It would also explain the relative electrical inactivity of P + ion implants

An attempt is made to measure the sum of the elastic, rotational and vibrational scattering of electrons by KOH at low impact energies (5 to 20 eV) at angles from 10 to 120 deg. Energy loss spectra taken in the 0 to 18 eV range using an electron impact spectrometer are used to identify the species contributing to electric scattering. At temperatures between 300 and 500 C, only inelastic spectral features belonging to water are detected, while at temperatures from 500 to 800 C strong atomic K lines, indicative of molecular dissociation, and H2 energy loss features become prominent. No features attributable to KOH, the KOH dimer, O2 or potassium oxides were observed, due to the effects of the dissociation products, and it is concluded that another technique will have to be developed in order to measure electron scattering by KOH.

KLL Auger transition rates for helium are computed using simple atomic orbital wavefunctions which take into account the difference in average electron--electron repulsion of initial and final states. The results are consistent with transition rates computed by other authors using a variety of many-electron techniques. It is suggested that wavefunctions determined in the manner described provide a useful representation of the autoionizing state within the first Bohr radius. A method for extracting atomic pseudopotentials from photoelectron angular distributions is described and applied photoionization of the outermost p shells of Ar, Kr, and Xe and to the 4d shell of Xe. The pseudopotentials obtained reproduce the data, and also predict accurate cross sections and phase shifts for photoelectron energies up to 100 eV. It is suggested that the pseudopotentials aptly mimic the effects of intrashell electron--electron correlations in the photoionization process. The extended Hueckel theory is applied to the nitrogen trap in GaAs and GaP. Perfect crystal band structures are computed and are shown to be in reasonable agreement with those computed with empirical pseudopotentials. Nitrogen impurity levels in GaAs and GaP are computed using an extended Hueckel cluster model. In each case the model predicts two states within the band gap, in contrast to experiment which detects one impurity state in GaP and none in GaAs. It is suggested that the choice of cluster used unrealistically concentrates states near the conduction band edge on the central atom

KLL Auger transition rates for helium are computed using simple atomic orbital wavefunctions which take into account the difference in average electron-electron repulsion of initial and final states. The results are consistent with transition rates computed by other authors using a variety of many-electron techniques. It is suggested that wavefunctions determined in the manner described provide a useful representation of the autoionizing state within the first Bohr radius. A method for extracting atomic psuedopotentials from photoelectron angular distributions is described and applied photoionization of the outermost p shells of Ar, Kr, and Xe and to the 4d shell of Xe. The pseudopotentials obtained reproduce the data, and also predict accurate cross sections and phase shifts for photoelectron energies up to 100 eV. It is suggested that the pseudopotentials aptly mimic the effects of intrashell electron-electron correlations in the photoionization process. The extended Hueckel theory is applied to the nitrogen trap in GaAs and GaP. Perfect crystal band structures are computed and are shown to be in reasonable agreement with those computed with empirical psuedopotentials. Nitrogen impurity levles in GaAs and GaP are computed using an extended Hueckel cluster model. In each case the model predicts two states within the band gap, in contrast to experiment which detects one impurity state in GaP and none in GaAs. It is suggested that the choice of cluster used unrealistically concentrates states near the conduction band edge on the central atom

X-ray electron spectra of some iso- and heteropolymolybdates relating to different structure types are investigated to studyelectron structure of complex polyoxyion-heteropolyanions. Binding energies of Modsub(5/2) and 01s-electrons in iso- and heteropolycompounds line are measured and their interdependence is detected. The effective charge of oxygen and molybdenum atoms in heteropolymolybdates increases with decreasing a number of external sphere cations per an oxygen atom and a number of Mo=0 multiple bonds

Electron transfer or quantum tunneling dynamics for excess or solvated electrons in dilute lithium-ammonia solutions have been studied by pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at both X- (9.7 GHz) and W-band (94 GHz) frequencies. The electron spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) relaxation data indicate an extremely fast transfer or quantum tunneling rate of the solvated electron in these solutions which serves to modulate the hyperfine (Fermi-contact) interaction with nitrogen nuclei in the solvation shells of ammonia molecules surrounding the localized, solvated electron. The donor and acceptor states of the solvated electron in these solutions are the initial and final electron solvation sites found before, and after, the transfer or tunneling process. To interpret and model our electron spin relaxation data from the two observation EPR frequencies requires a consideration of a multi-exponential correlation function. The electron transfer or tunneling process that we monitor through the correlation time of the nitrogen Fermi-contact interaction has a time scale of (1–10)×10−12 s over a temperature range 230–290K in our most dilute solution of lithium in ammonia. Two types of electron-solvent interaction mechanisms are proposed to account for our experimental findings. The dominant electron spin relaxation mechanism results from an electron tunneling process characterized by a variable donor-acceptor distance or range (consistent with such a rapidly fluctuating liquid structure) in which the solvent shell that ultimately accepts the transferring electron is formed from random, thermal fluctuations of the liquid structure in, and around, a natural hole or Bjerrum-like defect vacancy in the liquid. Following transfer and capture of the tunneling electron, further solvent-cage relaxation with a timescale of ca. 10−13 s results in a minor contribution to the electron spin relaxation times. This investigation illustrates the great potential

Electron transfer or quantum tunneling dynamics for excess or solvated electrons in dilute lithium-ammonia solutions have been studied by pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at both X- (9.7 GHz) and W-band (94 GHz) frequencies. The electron spin-lattice (T(1)) and spin-spin (T(2)) relaxation data indicate an extremely fast transfer or quantum tunneling rate of the solvated electron in these solutions which serves to modulate the hyperfine (Fermi-contact) interaction with nitrogen nuclei in the solvation shells of ammonia molecules surrounding the localized, solvated electron. The donor and acceptor states of the solvated electron in these solutions are the initial and final electron solvation sites found before, and after, the transfer or tunneling process. To interpret and model our electron spin relaxation data from the two observation EPR frequencies requires a consideration of a multiexponential correlation function. The electron transfer or tunneling process that we monitor through the correlation time of the nitrogen Fermi-contact interaction has a time scale of (1-10) × 10(-12) s over a temperature range 230-290 K in our most dilute solution of lithium in ammonia. Two types of electron-solvent interaction mechanisms are proposed to account for our experimental findings. The dominant electron spin relaxation mechanism results from an electron tunneling process characterized by a variable donor-acceptor distance or range (consistent with such a rapidly fluctuating liquid structure) in which the solvent shell that ultimately accepts the transferring electron is formed from random, thermal fluctuations of the liquid structure in, and around, a natural hole or Bjerrum-like defect vacancy in the liquid. Following transfer and capture of the tunneling electron, further solvent-cage relaxation with a time scale of ∼10(-13) s results in a minor contribution to the electron spin relaxation times. This investigation illustrates the great

Dentinal carious lesions having a remineralized surface layer were studied by means electron-probe microanalysis, electron microscopy, electron diffraction. As the results of electron-probe study, F, Mg, and Na were found to be distributed mainly in the remineralized surface layer and S in the decalcified region where decreases in Ca, P, and Mg concentration were usually observed. The decrease in Mg concentration always started earlier than that of Ca and P concentration. Electron microscope and electron diffraction studies revealed that apatic crystals in the remineralized surface layer were much larger than those in the intact dentin. Although they were less conspicuous, crystals in the decalcified region also were larger than those in the intact region. Dentinal tubules, occluded by many crystals, were frequently seen during the observations. Crystals in the tubules varied in morphology, showing granular, needle, rhomboid, and tabular shapes. By means of electron diffraction, the granular- or needle-shaped crystals were identified as apatite and the rhomboid-shaped crystals as whitlockite. Some of the tabular-shaped crystals appeared to be cotacalcium phosphate.

Standard computational methods used to take account of the Pauli Exclusion Principle into Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of electron transport in semiconductors may give unphysical results in low field regime, where obtained electron distribution function takes values exceeding unity. Modified algorithms were already proposed and allow to correctly account for electron scattering on phonons or impurities. Present paper extends this approach and proposes improved simulation scheme allowing including Pauli exclusion principle for electron-electron (e-e) scattering into MC simulations. Simulations with significantly reduced computational cost recreate correct values of the electron distribution function. Proposed algorithm is applied to study transport properties of degenerate electrons in graphene with e-e interactions. This required adapting the treatment of e-e scattering in the case of linear band dispersion relation. Hence, this part of the simulation algorithm is described in details.

The results of various theories for the angular distribution of electrons photoemitted from the outermost p-shell of rare gas atoms are compared. The theories compared are the local density theories of Slater (X/sub α/) and of Hohenberg, Kohn and Sham, the pseudopotential method, Hartree-Fock theory as evaluated by Kennedy and Manson, and Amusia's random phase approximation with exchange (RPAE). Extended Huekel theory is applied to GaAs, GaP, and to the nitrogen isoelectronic trap in GaAs and GaP. The computer perfect crystal band structures are found to be in reasonable agreement with those computed with empirical pseudopotentials. Nitrogen impurity levels in GaAs and GaP are calculated using a cluster model. By means of model calculations for an independent electron metal, exact lineshapes are obtained for the photon absorption, emission and photoemission spectra of deep core states. 97 references

Cranioplasty represents a challenge in neurosurgery. Its goal is not only plastic reconstruction of the skull but also to restore and preserve cranial function, to improve cerebral hemodynamics, and to provide mechanical protection of the neural structures. The ideal material for the reconstructive procedures and the surgical timing are still controversial. Many alloplastic materials are available for performing cranioplasty and among these, titanium still represents a widely proven and accepted choice. The aim of our study was to present our preliminary experience with a "custom-made" cranioplasty, using electron beam melting (EBM) technology, in a series of ten patients. EBM is a new sintering method for shaping titanium powder directly in three-dimensional (3D) implants. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a skull reconstruction performed by this technique. In a 1-year follow-up no postoperative complications have been observed and good clinical and esthetic outcomes were achieved. Costs higher than those for other types of titanium mesh, a longer production process, and the greater expertise needed for this technique are compensated by the achievement of most complex skull reconstructions with a shorter operative time.

The work of the theoretical study and numerical simulation of optical klystron free electron laser is supported by National 863 Research Development Program and National Science Foundation of China. The object of studying UV band free electron laser (FEL) is to understand the physical law of optical klystron FEL and to gain experience for design. A three-dimensional code OPFEL are made and it is approved that the code is correct completely. The magnetic field of the optical klystron, the energy modulation of the electron beam, the density modulation of the electron beam, spontaneous emission of the electron beam in optical klystron, the harmonic super-radiation of the electron beam, and the effects of the undulator magnetic field error on modulation of the electron beam energy are simulated. These results are useful for the future experiments

Full Text Available A series of indoline dyes with promising efficiency for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs were studied using the density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31g (d level. The ground-state geometries, electronic structures and absorption spectra of these dyes are reported. The calculated results indicate that the energy levels of the HOMOs and LUMOs of these dyes are advantageous for electron injection. Their intense and broad absorption bands as well as favorable excited-state energy levels are key factor for their outstanding efficiencies in DSSCs.

In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21

In this paper, the NDVI time-series collected from the study area between year 2003 and 2005 of all land cover types are plotted and compared. The study area is the agricultural zones in Banphai District, Khonkean, Thailand. The LANDSAT satellite images of different dates were first transformed into

The self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on DFT (Density Functional Theory) approach and using FLAPW (Full potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave) method, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the Mn{sub 2}Au. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Mn plans. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (110) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the high temperature series expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. The exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Mn–Mn in Mn{sub 2}Au are given by using the experiment results and the mean field theory. The High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility with the magnetic moments in Mn{sub 2}Au (m{sub Mn}) is given up to tenth order series in, 1/k{sub B}T. The Néel temperature T{sub N} is obtained by HTSEs combined with the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent associated with the magnetic susceptibility is deduced as well. - Highlights: • The both electronic and magnetic properties of the Mn{sub 2}Au are studied. • The exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Mn–Mn in Mn{sub 2}Au are given. • The Néel temperature T{sub N} of Mn{sub 2}Au is obtained by HTSEs method. • The critical exponent associated with the magnetic susceptibility is deduced.

... the comment (or signing the comment for an association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete... design feature: The digital systems architecture for the Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes is composed of several connected networks. This proposed network architecture is used for a diverse set of...

Nuclear track filters became more and more important in various fields of application. The filtration process can be described by a set of suitable parameters. For some applications it may be necessary to know the structure of the surface and the pores themselves. In most cases the etching process yields surfaces and pore geometries that are quite different from ideal planes and cylinders. In the presented work the production of different filter types will be described. The resulting surfaces and pore structures have been investigated by means of a scanning electron microscope. (author)

Results of the experimental study of the transmission of conversion electrons through aluminium, iron, tin and gold films are presented. Absorption of resonance electrons of the Moessbauer nuclide 57 Fe, formed during target irradiation with γ-quanta of 57 Co source in chromium matrix has been studied. It is asserted that absorption of conversion electrons in films of different elements is similar; at that, like in the case of β-particles, the law of absorption of resonance electrons, emitted from the flat layer, is exponential For conversion electrons of the Moessbauer nuclide 57 Fe the absorption coefficient is (0.025+-0.002) cm 2 /μg, which in the case of iron absorbing film corresponds to (20.0+-1.0)x10 4 cm -1

The target atomic number, Z sub 2 , dependence of secondary electron yield is simulated by applying a Monte Carlo code for 17 species of metals bombarded by Ga ions and electrons in order to study the contrast difference between scanning ion microscopes (SIM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). In addition to the remarkable reversal of the Z sub 2 dependence between the Ga ion and electron bombardment, a fine structure, which is correlated to the density of the conduction band electrons in the metal, is calculated for both. The brightness changes of the secondary electron images in SIM and SEM are simulated using Au and Al surfaces adjacent to each other. The results indicate that the image contrast in SIM is much more sensitive to the material species and is clearer than that for SEM. The origin of the difference between SIM and SEM comes from the difference in the lateral distribution of secondary electrons excited within the escape depth.

Electron bombardment can produce surface modifications of the analysed sample. The electron beam effects on solid surfaces which have been discussed in the published literature can be classified into the following four categories: (1) heating and its consequent effects, (2) charge accumulation in insulators and its consequent effects, (3) electron stimulated adsorption (ESA), and (4) electron stimulated desorption and/or decomposition (ESD). In order to understand the physico-chemical processes which take place under electron irradiation in an Al-O system, we have carried out experiments in which, effects, such as heating, charging and gas contamination, were absent. Our results point out the role of an enhanced surface diffusion of oxygen during electron bombardment of an Al (111) sample. The importance of this phenomenon and the contribution of near-elastic scattering of the primary electrons (5 keV) to the increase of the oxidation degree observed on Al (111) are discussed, compared to the generally studied effects

The design of a low temperature electron beam cooling system for the Indiana University electron-cooled storage ring is in progress. The storage ring, which will accept the light ion beams from the existing k=200, multi-stage cyclotron facility, requires an electron beam variable in energy from about 7 to 275 keV. The electron beam system consists of a high perveance electron gun with Pierce geometry and a flat cathode. The gun and a 28 element accelerating column are immersed in a uniform longitudinal magnetic guide field. A computer modeling study of the system was conducted to determine electron beam density and transverse temperature variations as a function of anode region and accelerator column design parameters. Transverse electron beam temperatures (E /SUB t/ = mc 2 β 2 γ(/theta/ /SUB H/ +/theta/ /SUB v/ )) of less than a few tenths of an electron volt at a maximum current density of 0.4 A/cm 2 are desired over the full energy range. This was achieved in the calculations without the use of resonant focusing for a 2 Amp, 275 keV electron beam. Some systematics of the electron beam temperature variations with system design parameters are presented. A short discussion of the mechanical design of the proposed electron beam system is also given

(PV2) in aqueous phosphate buffer of pH 6 at ambient temperature. Electrochemical and optical studies show that the stoichiometry of the reaction is 1: 2 (NADH : HPA). EPR and optical studies show that HPA act as one electron acceptor and the products of electron transfer reactions are one elec- tron reduced heteropoly ...

Sarcocystis sp. obtained from wild populations of grackles, Quiscalus quiscula (Linn.), were examined to clarify the effect of the parasite on the host. Electron micrographs are presented to show areas of muscle destruction adjacent to the parasite which appear to be mechanically produced by the parasite. The microtubules within the villus-like projections of the cyst suggest that their possible function is absorptive and/or conductive with regard to the production of a toxin or the conveyance of nutritive material to the developing cells. The proposed function of submembranous filaments and their relation to the conoid is discussed. Similarities in the ultrastructure to Toxoplasma and other protozoa tend to negate the relegation of Sarcocystis to the fungi and further emphasize its protozoan nature.

Chapter I: Here the results of various theories for the angular distribution of electrons photoemitted from the outermost p-shell of rare gas atoms are compared. The theories compared are (I) the local density theories of Slater (X/sub α/) and of Hohenberg, Kohn and Sham, (II) the pseudopotential method, (III) Hartree-Fock theory as evaluated by Kennedy and Manson, and (IV) Amusia's Random Phase Approximation with Exchange (RPAE). It is shown that the local density theories, although simple, generally fail to produce reliable cross section; the more complicated Hartree-Fock method is no more reliable; the a priori RPAE method is most reliable, but tedious; and the phenomenological pseudopotential method offers a good combination of reliability and simplicity. The muffin-tin approximation, widely used in molecular and condensed matter physics, is examined and found to be adequate. Chapter II: Extended Hueckel theory is applied to GaAs, GaP and to the nitrogen isoelectronic trap in GaAs and GaP. The computed perfect crystal band structures are found to be in reasonable agreement with those computed with empirical pseudopotentials. Nitrogen impurity levels in GaAs and GaP are calculated using a cluster model. Chapter III: By means of model calculations for an independent electron metal, we obtain exact lineshapes for the photon absorption, emission and photoemission spectra of deep core states. We find in each case an X-ray edge anomaly as pedicted by Nozieres and De Dominicis. Sumrules are used as a general check on the calculations and to explain the deviations of the exact theory from the exciton theory away from threshold

The progress of the electron gun design, limiting to axially symmetric geometries is discussed here with a view to utilise such guns for electron accelerators. The mechanical design features leading to the physical configuration of the gun with stringent tolerances are outlined. Vacuum processing is done at pressures of 1.3x10 -5 Pa. The gun employs W-filament emitter or a cathode pellet with bombarder service. A water cooled compact faraday cup is used to measure the electron current. Electron gun geometries have been studied using the computer programme. The preveance of the gun is 0.7x10 -7 A/Vsup(1.5) at 80 kV. Developmental techniques of such pulsed electron guns are described. (author). 7 refs., 5 figs

Full Text Available Comments posted on french television websites about police series were studied in their discursive function in order to question the continental dichotomy between popular and scholar culture. Rereading produces, creates cultural practices. This article aims at opening a space for discourse, a space where cultural industry, reception and practices collide.

Radiation responses of a series of four human fibroblast lines obtained from a family affected with 5-oxoprolinuria were determined. Cell suspensions were irradiated under hypoxic conditions and the oxygen enhancement ratio was determined for each cell line. Results are compared with previous studies

This study employs checklists from Williams (1983) and Keban, Muhtar, and Zen (2012) to evaluate the "Flying High for Saudi Arabia" series, which is currently taught in high schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to ensure it can achieve their pedagogical goals. Different results were obtained from each checklist. Keban et al.'s…

Assessing and Improving the Quality of Modeling A Series of Empirical Studies about the UML This thesis addresses the assessment and improvement of the quality of modeling in software engineering. In particular, we focus on the Unified Modeling Language (UML), which is the de facto standard in

Using the techniques of statistical process control (SPC) keeps track of the variable that controls the stability of the spectrum of electron beam accelerators in clinical use. In this process, applied since 1995, we obtained a high number of false alarms. Our work shows that this unexpected behavior appears to treat the variable of interest as a normal random variable, independent and identically distributed (iid), when in fact the observations of this variable are positively correlated with each other. (Author)

Centrioles are components of the centrosome, which is present in most eukaryotic cells (from protozoa to mammals). They organize the microtubule skeleton during interphase and the mitotic spindle during cell division. In ciliate cells, centrioles form basal bodies that are involved in cellular motility. Despite their important roles in biology, the detailed structure of centrioles remains obscure. This work contributes to a more complete model of centriole structure. The authors used electron tomography of isolated centrosomes from the human lymphoblast KE37 to explore the details of subdistal appendages and centriole lumen organization in mother centrioles. Their results reveal that each of the nine subdistal appendages is composed of two halves (20 nm diameter each) fused in a 40 nm tip that extends 100 nm from where it anchors to microtubules. The centriole lumen is filled at the distal domain by a 45 nm periodic stack of rings. Each ring has a 30 nm diameter, is 15 nm thick, and appears to be tilted at 53 degrees perpendicular to the centriole axis. The rings are anchored to microtubules by arms. Based on their results, the authors propose a model of the mother centriole distal structure. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Full Text Available Introduction: This paper presents the results of research conducted with Electronic Library users – website, created in 2004 by Embrapa Cerrados, that organizes, stores, and provides full text of the technical scientific production published by the Institution. Objective: To explore the user profile and to make an accurate assessment of the website. Methodology: Data collection of demographic aspects; habits; and search features: navigation, loading time of pages, help, layout and terminology by an online survey. Analysis by SPSS software - Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: The main users are students and agronomists, young people up to 30 years old, coming from the Federal District, belonging to universities and high schools wishing to update knowledge. After, appear the users of public agencies; private companies; Embrapa; agribusiness; federal government; schools; associations and non-governmental organizations; rural extension; cooperatives and syndicates. These users have no difficulties to use the service. Conclusions: The service works well, but some suggestions are useful to improve it. In addition, little demand coming from farms, ranches, rural extension services, cooperatives and syndicates indicates the need to design new products and services oriented to such public.

Surface morphological observations of benign and malinant bone tumors were made by the use of scanning electron microscopy. Tumor materials were obtained directly from patients of osteogenic sarcomas, chondrosarcomas, enchondromas, giant cell tumors and Paget's sarcoma. To compare with these human tumors, the following experimental materials were also observed: P 32 -induced rat osteogenic sarcomas with their pulmonary metastatic lesions, Sr 89 -induced transplantable mouse osteogenic sarcomas and osteoid tissues arising after artificial fractures in mice. One of the most outstanding findings was a lot of granular substances seen on cell surfaces and their intercellular spaces in osteoid or chondroid forming tissues. These substances were considered to do some parts in collaborating extracellular matrix formation. Protrusions on cell surface, such as mucrovilli were more or less fashioned by these granular substances. Additional experiments revealed these substances to be soluble in sodium cloride solution. Benign osteoid forming cells, such as osteoblasts and osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells had granular substances on their surfaces and their intercellular spaces. On the other hand, undifferentiated transplantable osteosarcoma which formed on osteoid or chondroid matrix had none of these granular substances. Consequently, the difference of surface morphology between osteosarcoma cells and osteoblasts was yet to be especially concluded. (author)

Full text: Let us consider a general case of various interaction processes of electrons with nuclei. The study of the scattering o electrons of nuclei is the source of information on the structure of nuclei. At collision of fast electrons with nuclei, both elastic and inelastic scattering can be observed. Elastic scattering gives information on the sizes of nuclei, whereas the electrons inelastic scattering processes give important information on the dynamical properties of nuclei. In the first case, the characteristics of excited states, energy levels, their widths and others, and in the second case, momentum distribution of nucleons and other particles in nuclei are studied. Let us denote the momentum and the energy of the incident electron before and after the scattering as k and ε, and k' and ε', respectively. The angle between the vectors k and k' is denoted as θ. The scattering process is characterized by three parameters: k, k' and θ. However, it is convenient to introduce three other parameters instead of the indicated above. They are: energy ω ε - ε' and momentum q = k - k', transferred by electron at scattering, and the scattering angle θ. It is worth of mentioning the two reasons why the study of electron scattering is very effective tool to study the nuclear structure. First of all, the character of electron interaction with nucleus is a well-known electromagnetic interaction of electron with current and charge in nucleus. Secondly, this interaction is relatively weak (e 2 /ℎc) 2 = ω 2 is possible (since the photon mass is zero). In case of electrons, at fixed energy transfer ω various momentum transfer are possible. Therefore, at electron scattering study one can establish the dependence of the matrix elements of q, which are the Fourier-representations of the charge and current densities. Thus, it is possible to determine directly the spatial distribution of charge and current in nucleus. The inelastic scattering is accompanied by

This publication introduces electronic document imaging systems and provides guidance for local governments in New York in deciding whether such systems should be adopted for their own records and information management purposes. It advises local governments on how to develop plans for using such technology by discussing its advantages and…

... Boeing Company applied for a change to Type Certificate No. T00001SE Rev. 30 dated June 6, 2012 for... integration may result in security vulnerabilities from intentional or unintentional corruption of data and... material did not anticipate this type of system architecture or electronic access to aircraft systems...

Properties and application of the imaging plate (IP) in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are reviewed. TEM has the resolution level of around 0.2 nm, which enables direct observation of molecules and atoms. In TEM, there are such recording systems as photographic film, TV camera, slow-scan CCD camera and IP. IP, to the electron beam, has the higher sensitivity than the film and has the broad dynamic range. Linearity between the input beam intensity and output signal is good, which makes it possible to record the image even with the small electron dose. Signal/noise ratio and detective quantum efficiency are important factors for precise image analysis. Fading phenomenon is a defect of IP, which weakens the signal output as time passing. For instance of application, IP is used for imaging of AgBr crystal fragile to strong electron beam required for the film. IP is necessary for quantitative analysis of TEM images and for the recently developed energy-filter TEM. (K.H.)

A crossed electron-gas beam system coupled to a VUV spectrometer has been used to investigate the dissociation of pyrimidine (C4H4N2) into excited atomic fragments in the electron-impact energy range from threshold to 375 eV. Data have been made absolute using Lyman- α from H2 as a secondary standard. The main features in the spectrum are the H Lyman series lines. The emission cross section of Lyman- α is measured to be (2.44 +/- 0.25) 10-18 cm2 at 100 eV impact energy. The probability of extracting C or N atoms from the ring is shown to be very small. Possible dissociation channels and excitation mechanisms in the parent molecule will be discussed. The authors thank NSERC (Canada) for financial support.

A first principles study of electronic tunneling along the chain of seven Fe/S clusters in respiratory complex I, a key enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain, is described. The broken-symmetry states of the Fe/S metal clusters calculated at both DFT and semi-empirical ZINDO levels were utilized to examine both the extremely weak electronic couplings between Fe/S clusters and the tunneling pathways, which provide a detailed atomistic-level description of the charge transfer process in the protein. One-electron tunneling approximation was found to hold within a reasonable accuracy, with only a moderate induced polarization of the core electrons. The method is demonstrated to be able to calculate accurately the coupling matrix elements as small as 10−4 cm−1. A distinct signature of the wave properties of electrons is observed as quantum interferences of multiple tunneling pathways. PMID:25383312

We study the electronic structure of small lithium clusters Li_n (n = 2 ∼ 8) using the electronic stress tensor. We find that the three eigenvalues of the electronic stress tensor of the Li clusters are negative and degenerate, just like the stress tensor of liquid. This leads us to propose that we may characterize a metallic bond in terms of the electronic stress tensor. Our proposal is that in addition to the negativity of the three eigenvalues of the electronic stress tensor, their degeneracy characterizes some aspects of the metallic nature of chemical bonding. To quantify the degree of degeneracy, we use the differential eigenvalues of the electronic stress tensor. By comparing the Li clusters and hydrocarbon molecules, we show that the sign of the largest eigenvalue and the differential eigenvalues could be useful indices to evaluate the metallicity or covalency of a chemical bond.

This research thesis reports an experimental work which comprises the development of a very practical and very sensitive electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer, and the use of this equipment for the study of irradiated substances and carbons. By studyingelectronic resonance signals by fast modulation of the magnetic field, the author studied phenomena of quick passage in electronic resonance, and showed that the study of these phenomena requires observation systems with a particularly large bandwidth. He reports the measurement of the line width of packs of spins of inhomogeneous lines by two different methods [fr

In this study long and homogeneous time series of runoff and precipitation are studied to identify variations in time and space. The method of empirical orthogonal functions (EOF-method) is applied. Both annual observations, smoothed (using Gauss filter) and seasonal values are analyzed. The analysis shows that the temporal variations in runoff and precipitation coincide. The deviations occurring in the seasonal values are caused by snow accumulation and snow melt. In the filtered series temporal trends are found. A comparison between the different normal periods has been carried out for precipitation. The 1900-30 and 1960-90 periods differ from the 1930-60 period. This may be caused by different weather types dominating the different periods. The different weather types are reflected in different empirical orthogonal functions. This is verified by regional studies. The coinciding patterns in runoff and precipitation are important aspects in climate studies and for extrapolation purposes. 11 refs., 20 figs., 1 tab.

A preliminary investigation of the electron beam produced by a plasma focus device using a current charged transmission line is described. Electron beam currents as high as 10 kA were measured. Interaction of the extracted beam and the filling gas was studied using open shutter photography

The 2-to-1 spectra of several astrophysically abundant He-like ions are being studied using the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Spectra are recorded for a broad range of plasma parameters, including electron density, energy, and ionization balance. We describe the experimental equipment and procedure and present some typical data

tional or electronic devices. Recent advances in experi- mental techniques have allowed ... stimulates us to study the electronic conduction in azulene molecule and to compare that with its isomer, naphthalene. ..... ernment of India, for funding and (SD) acknowledges CSIR,. Government of India, for a research fellowship.

This thesis contains work on the design and the realization of an experimental setup capable of providing sub-picosecond electron pulses for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and performing the study of ultrafast dynamics in bismuth after optical excitation using this setup. (orig.)

This thesis contains work on the design and the realization of an experimental setup capable of providing sub-picosecond electron pulses for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and performing the study of ultrafast dynamics in bismuth after optical excitation using this setup. (orig.)

Abstract Background Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs). Methods This is an ecological time seriesstudy using preterm births records from the national l...

The palaeontological site of Venta Micena (Orce, Andalusia, Spain) lies in the eastern sector of the Guadix-Baza basin, one of the best documented areas in Europe for Plio-Pleistocene bio-stratigraphy. The combination of bio-chronological and palaeo-magnetic results, combined with the radiometric data obtained for Atapuerca Sima del Elefante, indicated that the Venta Micena stratum was formed between the Jaramillo and Olduvai palaeo-magnetic events, most likely between 1.22 and 1.77 Ma. Five fossil teeth from two outcrops (sites A and B) were selected to assess the potential of combined uranium series-electron spin resonance (US-ESR) dating of Early Pleistocene sites. Although the US-ESR results of the first outcrop showed a large scatter between the three teeth, the mean age of 1.37 ± 0.24 Ma can be considered a reasonable age estimate for Venta Micena. The mean ESR age of 0.62 ± 0.03 Ma obtained for site B seems to be a severe underestimation when compared with the independent age control. This underestimation is attributed to a relative recent U-mobilization event that led to some U-leaching. The results show that any ESR age calculations of old samples are extremely sensitive to variations in the measured 230 Th/ 234 U ratios in dental tissues. Although the results demonstrate that ESR can in principle be applied to Early Pleistocene sites, they also reveal the complexity of dating such old teeth. It is necessary to continue research in several directions, such as study of the behaviour of ESR signals in old teeth and understanding recent U-mobilization processes, to improve the reliability of the combined US-ESR dating method applied to Early Pleistocene times, a period for which the number of available numerical dating techniques is very limited. (authors)

Using the techniques of statistical process control (SPC) keeps track of the variable that controls the stability of the spectrum of electron beam accelerators in clinical use. In this process, applied since 1995, we obtained a high number of false alarms. Our work shows that this unexpected behavior appears to treat the variable of interest as a normal random variable, independent and identically distributed (iid), when in fact the observations of this variable are positively correlated with each other. (Author)

Stability of a hot electron plasma in an NBT(EBT)-like geometry is studied by using a 2-1/2 dimensional relativistic, electromagnetic particle code. For the low-frequency hot electron interchange mode, comparison of the simulation results with the analytical predictions of linear stability theory show fairly good agreement with the magnitude of the growth rates calculated without hot electron finite Larmor radius effects. Strong stabilizing effects by finite Larmor radius of the hot electrons are observed for short wavelength modes. As for the high-frequency hot electron interchange mode, there is a discrepancy between the simulation results and the theory. The high-frequency instability is not observed though a parameter regime is chosen in which the high-frequency hot electron interchange mode is theoretically predicted to grow. Strong cross-field diffusion in a poloidal direction of the hot electrons might explain the stability. Each particle has a magnetic drift velocity, and the speed of the magnetic drift is proportional to the kinetic energy of each particle. Hence, if the particles have high temperature, the spread of the magnetic drift velocity is large. This causes a strong cross-field diffusion of the hot electrons. In the simulation for this interchange mode, an enhanced temperature relaxation is observed between the hot and cold electrons although the theoretically predicted high frequency modes are stable. (Nogami, K.)

Spontaneous recombination of highly charged ions with free electrons in merged velocity matched electron and ion beams has been observed in earlier experiments to occur at rates significantly higher than predicted by theoretical estimates. To study this enhanced spontaneous recombination, laser induced recombination spectra were measured both in velocity matched beams and in beams with well defined relative velocities, corresponding to relative electron-ion detuning energies ranging from 1 meV up to 6.5 meV where the spontaneous recombination enhancement was found to be strongly reduced. Based on a comparison with simplified calculations, the development of the recombination spectra for decreasing detuning energies indicates additional contributions at matched velocities which could be related to the energy distribution of electrons causing the spontaneous recombination rate enhancement

Full Text Available Mixed-metal supramolecular complexes have been designed that photochemically absorb solar light, undergo photoinitiated electron collection and reduce water to produce hydrogen fuel using low energy visible light. This manuscript describes these systems with an analysis of the photophysics of a series of six supramolecular complexes, [{(TL2Ru(dpp}2RhX2](PF65 with TL = bpy, phen or Ph2phen with X = Cl or Br. The process of light conversion to a fuel requires a system to perform a number of complicated steps including the absorption of light, the generation of charge separation on a molecular level, the reduction by one and then two electrons and the interaction with the water substrate to produce hydrogen. The manuscript explores the rate of intramolecular electron transfer, rate of quenching of the supramolecules by the DMA electron donor, rate of reduction of the complex by DMA from the 3MLCT excited state, as well as overall rate of reduction of the complex via visible light excitation. Probing a series of complexes in detail exploring the variation of rates of important reactions as a function of sub-unit modification provides insight into the role of each process in the overall efficiency of water reduction to produce hydrogen. The kinetic analysis shows that the complexes display different rates of excited state reactions that vary with TL and halide. The role of the MLCT excited state is elucidated by this kinetic study which shows that the 3MLCT state and not the 3MMCT is likely that key contributor to the photoreduction of these complexes. The kinetic analysis of the excited state dynamics and reactions of the complexes are important as this class of supramolecules behaves as photoinitiated electron collectors and photocatalysts for the reduction of water to hydrogen.

The ITS (Integrated Tiger Series) Monte Carlo code package developed at Sandia National Laboratories and distributed as CCC-467/ITS by the Radiation Shielding Information Center (RSIC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) consists of eight codes - the standard codes, TIGER, CYLTRAN, ACCEPT; the P-codes, TIGERP, CYLTRANP, ACCEPTP; and the M-codes ACCEPTM, CYLTRANM. The codes have been adapted to run on the IBM 3081, VAX 11/780, CDC-7600, and Cray 1 with the use of the update emulator UPEML. This manual should serve as a guide to a user running the codes on IBM computers having 370 architecture. The cases listed were tested on the IBM 3033, under the MVS operating system using the VS Fortran Level 1.3.1 compiler

Some recent studies of electron swarms in gases under the action of an electric field are introduced. The studies include a new type of continuity equation for electrons having a form in which the partial derivative of the electron density with respect to position and to time are interchanged, a method to deduce the time-of-flight and arrival-time-spectrum swarm parameters based on a Fourier-transformed Boltzmann equation, an examination of the correspondence between experimental and theoretical electron drift velocities, and an automatic technique to deduce the electron-gas molecule collision cross section from electron drift velocity data. A method for the deduction of electron collision cross sections with gas molecules having vibrational excitation cross sections greater than the elastic momentum transfer cross section by using a gas mixture technique, an integral type of method for solution of the Boltzmann equation with salient numerical stability, a quantitative analysis of the effect of Penning ionisation, and the behaviour of electron swarms under radio frequency electric fields, are also briefly discussed. 28 refs., 3 figs

A transformer induced oscillation in series resonant (SR) converters is studied. It may occur in the discontinuous current mode. The source of the oscillation is an unexpected resonant circuit formed by normal resonance components in series with the magnetizing inductance of the output transformers. The methods for achieving cyclic stability are: to use a half bridge SR converter where q0.5. Q should be as close to 1.0 as possible. If 0.5q1.0, the instability will be avoided if psi2/3q-1/3. The second objective was to investigate a power field effect transistor (FET) version of the SR converter capable of operating at frequencies above 100 KHz, to study component stress and losses at various frequencies.

This thesis consists of an introduction to the plasma physics of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) and a review of the results obtained by the author and co-workers including discussion of related work by others. The thesis begins with a theoretical discussion dealing with plasma physics relevant for the production of highly charged ions in ECR ion source plasmas. This is followed by an overview of different techniques, such as gas mixing and double frequency heating, that can be used to improve the performance of this type of ion source. The experimental part of the work consists of studies related to ECRIS plasma physics. The effect of the gas mixing technique on the production efficiency of different ion beams was studied with both gaseous and solid materials. It was observed that gas mixing improves the confinement of the heavier element while the confinement of the lighter element is reduced. When the effect of gas mixing on MIVOC-plasmas was studied with several mixing gases it was observed that applying this technique can reduce the inevitable carbon contamination by a significant factor. In order to understand the different plasma processes taking place in ECRIS plasmas, a series of plasma potential and emittance measurements was carried out. An instrument, which can be used to measure the plasma potential in a single measurement without disturbing the plasma, was developed for this work. Studying the plasma potential of ECR ion sources is important not only because it helps to understand different plasma processes, but also because the information can be used as an input parameter for beam transport simulations and ion source extraction design. The experiments performed have revealed clear dependencies of the plasma potential on certain source parameters such as the amount of carbon contamination accumulated on the walls of the plasma chamber during a MIVOC-run. It was also observed that gas mixing affects not only the production efficiency

ITS is a powerful and user-friendly software package permitting state-of-the-art Monte Carlo solution of linear time-independent coupled electron/photon radiation transport problems, with or without the presence of macroscopic electric and magnetic fields. It combines operational simplicity and physical accuracy in order to provide experimentalists and theorists alike with a method for the routine but rigorous solution of sophisticated radiation transport problems. Flexibility of construction permits tailoring of the codes to specific applications and extension of code capabilities to more complex applications through simple update procedures

ITS is a powerful and user-friendly software package permitting state-of-the-art Monte Carlo solution of linear time-independent coupled electron/photon radiation transport problems, with or without the presence of macroscopic electric and magnetic fields. It combines operational simplicity and physical accuracy in order to provide experimentalists and theorists alike with a method for the routine but rigorous solution of sophisticated radiation transport problems. Flexibility of construction permits tailoring of the codes to specific applications and extension of code capabilities to more complex applications through simple update procedures.

A time-series approach is applied to study and model tidal intrusion into coastal aquifers. The authors examine the effect of tidal behaviour on groundwater level and salinity intrusion for the coastal Brisbane region using auto-correlation and spectral analyses. The results show a close relationship between tidal behaviour, groundwater depth and salinity levels for the Brisbane coast. The known effect can be quantified and incorporated into new models in order to more accurately map salinity intrusion into coastal groundwater table

Since the Fukushima accident, unexpected accidents or extreme damages have become a concern. Therefore, a rapid and exact confrontation such as a computerized attempt in SAMG has been tried. To contribute to a rapid and accurate processing for a severe accident, based on the study of SAMG functional modules, the e-SAMG framework has been studied and developed. This paper describes a study on the e-SAMG framework. Through the eSAMG development, a rapid and accurate decision can be expected, and the burden of operator during a severe accident can also be reduced. In a qualitative view, eSAMG can be used to promote work skills in the field, and manage rapid work. It can also secure the efficiency and safety through an assistant system compared with severe accidents at all times. In addition, it can maximize the operator's ability through training using the eSAMG system. In a quantitative view, eSAMG can reduce the following damage through an improvement of accuracy and processing speed for a severe accident. It can also secure the PR (public relation) effect of safety and improvement of NPP perception. Moreover, it can execute systematic training against a severe accident and reduce the training cost. This system will be implemented extendedly into the entire SAMG for perfection of the complete eSAMG.

This study deals with a wall-stabilized arc burning in argon at atmospheric pressure. A transient mode is obtained using a fast thyristor connected to the electrodes, which short-circuits the discharge. By means of two wavelengths laser interferometry and spectroscopy measurements we have determined the temporal changes of the electron density, ground state atom density and excited atom density. We have shown that, when the electric field is suppressed, the electron temperature rapidly decreases to the gas temperature before changing electron and atom densities. This phenomenon is applied to determine the gas temperature and to evaluate the role played by ionization in electron density balance. The coefficients of ambipolar diffusion, ionization and recombination and an apparent recombination coefficient are determined versus electron temperature and compared with theoretical values [fr

Pseudopotentials allow an extraordinary simplification in the calculation of the electronic structure of atoms, molecules and crystals. Though they have been used extensively for electronic structure calculations, little is known of their applicability to scattering. A study of the pseudopotentials of Bachelet, Hamann and Schuter in the electron scattering by atoms was made, calculating phase-shifts and cross sections for angular momenta 1=0,1 and 2 and energy up to 5 R y. The results for the pseudopotential were compared all-electron calculations. The agreement is very good in a broad energy band. A simplification of the calculation of scattering by complex molecules where an all-electron calculation is impossible is aimed. (author)

Preliminary results of a numerical and analytical study of foilless diodes are presented. The work produced an electron emission algorithm for the particle-in-cell simulation code CCUBE. Diode performance was studied as a function of applied magnetic field strength and simple geometry changes. Annular electron beams with an energy of 5 MeV appear obtainable with densities exceeding 10 14 cm -3 . 8 figures

A new hybrid reduced model for relativistic electron beam transport in solids and dense plasmas is presented. It is based on the two first angular moments of the relativistic kinetic equation completed with the Minerbo maximum angular entropy closure. It takes into account collective effects with the self-generated electromagnetic fields as well as collisional effects with the slowing down of the electrons in collisions with plasmons, bound and free electrons and their angular scattering on both ions and electrons. This model allows for fast computations of relativistic electron beam transport while describing the kinetic distribution function evolution. Despite the loss of information concerning the angular distribution of the electron beam, the model reproduces analytical estimates in the academic case of a collimated and monoenergetic electron beam propagating through a warm and dense Hydrogen plasma and hybrid PIC simulation results in a realistic laser-generated electron beam transport in a solid target. The model is applied to the study of the emission of Kα photons in laser-solid experiments and to the generation of shock waves. (author) [fr

An Ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) computer code has been developed to simulate, semi-classically, spin-dependent electron transport in quasi two-dimensional (2D) III-V semiconductors. The code accounts for both three-dimensional (3D) and quasi-2D transport, utilizing either 3D or 2D scattering mechanisms, as appropriate. Phonon, alloy, interface roughness, and impurity scattering mechanisms are included, accounting for the Pauli Exclusion Principle via a rejection algorithm. The 2D carrier states are calculated via a self-consistent 1D Schrodinger-3D-Poisson solution in which the charge distribution of the 2D carriers in the quantization direction is taken as the spatial distribution of the squared envelope functions within the Hartree approximation. The wavefunctions, subband energies, and 2D scattering rates are updated periodically by solving a series of 1D Schrodinger wave equations (SWE) over the real-space domain of the device at fixed time intervals. The electrostatic potential is updated by periodically solving the 3D Poisson equation. Spin-polarized transport is modeled via a spin density-matrix formalism that accounts for D'yakanov-Perel (DP) scattering. Also, the code allows for the easy inclusion of additional scattering mechanisms and structural modifications to devices. As an application of the simulator, the current voltage characteristics of an InGaAs/InAlAs HEMT are simulated, corresponding to nanoscale III-V HEMTs currently being fabricated by Intel Corporation. The comparative effects of various scattering parameters, material properties and structural attributes are investigated and compared with experiments where reasonable agreement is obtained. The spatial evolution of spin-polarized carriers in prototypical Spin Field Effect Transistor (SpinFET) devices is then simulated. Studies of the spin coherence times in quasi-2D structures is first investigated and compared to experimental results. It is found that the simulated spin coherence times for

We present the results of a series of experiments where various metal photocathodes are irradiated with ultrashort laser pulses, whose characteristics are: λ = 625 nm, τ = 100 fs, PRR = 89.5 MHz, Hν = 2 eV and average power 25 mW in each of the two beams. The quantum efficiency of the metals range from ∼10 -12 to 10 -8 at a power density of 100 MW/cm 2 at normal incidence. Since all the electrons are emitted due to multiphoton processes, these efficiencies are expected to increase substantially at large intensities. The efficiency at 100 MW/cm 2 has been increased by using p-polarized light at oblique incidence by ∼20x and by mediating the electron emission through surface plasmon excitation by ∼10 3 x. For the low intensities used in these experiments, the electron pulse duration is almost the same as the laser pulse duration for both the bulk and the surface plasmon mediated photoemission. 7 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Foraminifera, corals and mollusks shells have been used as proxies for environmental, paleoenvironmental and climatic change studies in marine system by using elemental and isotopic ratios as recorder of such events. Nevertheless, there is little information available on the U and Th radionuclides decay series applied on those fields. In this sense, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the activity concentrations of the U and Th nuclide decay series in Crassostrea mangle shell samples as a function of the geographic location. Samples from Sao Paulo, Parana, Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco states were analyzed by Neutron Activation Analysis and Gross Alpha and Beta Counting. Statistical analysis applied to the obtained results allowed differencing samples coming from Sao Paulo from that coming from Parana. (author)

Foraminifera, corals and mollusks shells have been used as proxies for environmental, paleoenvironmental and climatic change studies in marine system by using elemental and isotopic ratios as recorder of such events. Nevertheless, there is little information available on the U and Th radionuclides decay series applied on those fields. In this sense, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the activity concentrations of the U and Th nuclide decay series in Crassostrea mangle shell samples as a function of the geographic location. Samples from Sao Paulo, Parana, Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco states were analyzed by Neutron Activation Analysis and Gross Alpha and Beta Counting. Statistical analysis applied to the obtained results allowed differencing samples coming from Sao Paulo from that coming from Parana. (author)

This study performed a time-series analysis, frequency distribution and prediction of SO(2) levels for five stations (Pardisan, Vila, Azadi, Gholhak and Bahman) in Tehran for the period of 2000-2005. Most sites show a quite similar characteristic with highest pollution in autumn-winter time and least pollution in spring-summer. The frequency distributions show higher peaks at two residential sites. The potential for SO(2) problems is high because of high emissions and the close geographical proximity of the major industrial and urban centers. The ACF and PACF are nonzero for several lags, indicating a mixed (ARMA) model, then at Bahman station an ARMA model was used for forecasting SO(2). The partial autocorrelations become close to 0 after about 5 lags while the autocorrelations remain strong through all the lags shown. The results proved that ARMA (2,2) model can provides reliable, satisfactory predictions for time series.

In case-series or cohort studies, we propose a test of independence between the occurrences of two types of recurrent events (such as two repeated infections) related to an intermittent exposure (such as an antibiotic treatment). The test relies upon an extension of a recent method for analysing case-series data, in the presence of one type of recurrent event. The test statistic is derived from a bivariate Poisson generated-multinomial distribution. Simulations for checking the validity of the test concerning the type I error and the power properties are presented. The test is illustrated using data from a cohort on antibiotics bacterial resistance in schoolchildren. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Designed for elementary and secondary use in the social studies, this guide provides activities for learning the basic elements and the history of architecture. Through this study, students develop critical observation skills and investigate buildings as manifestations of religious, social, and personal values. The historical overview traces the…

The electron donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions between menadione (i.e., 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, which is also called 'Vitamin K3') and a series of phenols (viz., phenol, resorcinol and p-quinol) have been studied in CCl4 medium. In all the cases, charge transfer (CT) bands have been located. The CT transition energies (h nu(CT)) of the complexes are found to change systematically with change in the number and position of the -OH groups in the aromatic ring of the phenol moiety. From the trends in the h nu(CT) values, the Hückel parameters (h(O) and k(C-O)) for the -OH group have been obtained. The CT transition energies are well correlated with the ionisation potentials of the phenols. From an analysis of this variation the electron affinity of Vitamin K3 has been found to be 2.28 eV. The stoichiometry of the complexes in each case has been found to be 1(menadione):2 (phenol). Formation constants of the complexes have been determined at four different temperatures from which the enthalpies and entropies of formation of the complexes have been estimated.

The electron donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions between menadione (i.e., 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, which is also called 'Vitamin K 3') and a series of phenols (viz., phenol, resorcinol and p-quinol) have been studied in CCl 4 medium. In all the cases, charge transfer (CT) bands have been located. The CT transition energies ( hνCT) of the complexes are found to change systematically with change in the number and position of the -OH groups in the aromatic ring of the phenol moiety. From the trends in the hνCT values, the Hückel parameters ( hÖ and kC-Ö) for the -OH group have been obtained. The CT transition energies are well correlated with the ionisation potentials of the phenols. From an analysis of this variation the electron affinity of Vitamin K 3 has been found to be 2.28 eV. The stoichiometry of the complexes in each case has been found to be 1(menadione):2 (phenol). Formation constants of the complexes have been determined at four different temperatures from which the enthalpies and entropies of formation of the complexes have been estimated.

Spatial structure in imagery depends on a complicated interaction between the observational regime and the types and arrangements of entities within the scene that the image portrays. Although block averaging of pixels has commonly been used to simulate coarser resolution imagery, relatively little attention has been focused on the effects of simple rescaling on spatial structure and the explanation and a possible solution to the problem. Yet, if there are significant differences in spatial variance between rescaled and observed images, it may affect the reliability of retrieved biogeophysical quantities. To investigate these issues, a nested series of high spatial resolution digital imagery was collected at a research site in eastern Nebraska in 2001. An airborne Kodak DCS420IR camera acquired imagery at three altitudes, yielding nominal spatial resolutions ranging from 0.187 m to 1 m. The red and near infrared (NIR) bands of the co-registered image series were normalized using pseudo-invariant features, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated. Plots of grain sorghum planted in orthogonal crop row orientations were extracted from the image series. The finest spatial resolution data were then rescaled by averaging blocks of pixels to produce a rescaled image series that closely matched the spatial resolution of the observed image series. Spatial structures of the observed and rescaled image series were characterized using semivariogram analysis. Results for NDVI and its component bands show, as expected, that decreasing spatial resolution leads to decreasing spatial variability and increasing spatial dependence. However, compared to the observed data, the rescaled images contain more persistent spatial structure that exhibits limited variation in both spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity. Rescaling via simple block averaging fails to consider the effect of scene object shape and extent on spatial information. As the features

The transport of runaway electrons in a hot plasma has been studied in four experiments, which provide the runaway diffusivity D r The first experiment obtained runaway electrons using a steady state approach for values of the runaway confinement time τ r , deduced from hard X-ray bremsstrahlung spectra. In the second experiment, diffusion has been interpreted in terms of the magnetic fluctuation, from which a electron thermal diffusivity can be deduced. Runaway electro diffusion coefficient is determined by intrinsic magnetic fluctuations, rather than electrostatic fluctuations because of the high energy involved. The results presented here demonstrate the efficiency of using runaway transport techniques for determining intrinsic magnetic fluctuations

We have measured the Stoke's parameters of light emitted following impact excitation of He and Xe by transversely-polarized electrons. For He, the 2 3 S-3 3 P, 389 nm transition was studied in an effort to systematically develop a highly accurate optical electron polarimeter. The 6 3 P 2 -6 3 D 3 , 882 nm transition in Xe was used to assess the importance of spin-dependent forces on the continuum electron for this target. We attempted (and failed) to made the first optical observations of Mott scattering. (Author)

Electron gun, the source of electrons, is a kind of ultrahigh vacuum device and plays an important role in different kind of accelerators. With the irradiation accelerator demands, describes the design studies on beam optics optimization. The simulation result shows that the beam current is above 5 A with cathode voltage of 80 kV and beam emittance, gun electric field and beam waist radius meet the accelerator needs. The electron gun manufactured and installed in the test stand, the conditioning and test will be done in the near future. (authors)

To strengthen our national arms control verification technical storage and deepen electronic seals' research, this paper mainly introduces seals' characteristics, functions and work principle, studies on tamper-indicating technology which is a key technology in electronic seals, designs some hardware circuit such as optical transceiver, temperature detection circuit, move detection circuit, re-prized circuit and so on, also designs a software program which is used for recording the destroying or tampering events' information. Experimental results show that electronic seals system can record the destroying or tampering events' information accurately and quickly, and give corresponding tamper-indication. (authors)

Despite recent intensive study on scintillators, several fundamental questions on scintillator properties are still unknown. In this work, we use ab-initio calculations to determine the energy dependent group velocity of the hot electrons from the electronic structures of several typical scintillators. Based on the calculated group velocities and optical phonon frequencies, a Monte-Carlo simulation of hot electron transport in scintillators is carried out to calculate the thermalization time and diffusion range in selected scintillators. Our simulations provide physical insights on a recent trend of improved proportionality and light yield from mixed halide scintillators. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A hadron/lepton collider with polarized beams has been under consideration by the scientific community since some years, in the U.S. and Europe. Among the various proposals, those by JLAB and BNL with polarized electron and proton beams are currently under closer study in the U.S. Experimenters call for the simultaneous storage of electron bunches with both spin helicity. In the BNL based Ring-Ring design, electrons are stored at top energy in a ring to be accommodated in the existing RHIC tunnel. The transversely polarized electron beam is injected into the storage ring at variable energies, between 5 and 18 GeV. Polarization is brought into the longitudinal direction at the IP by a couple of spin rotators. In this paper results of first studies of the attainable beam polarization level and lifetime in the storage ring at 18 GeV are presented.

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient “nanotechnologies”; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient "nanotechnologies"; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient “nanotechnologies”; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

Full Text Available Photo essay. A collection of Images produced by intentionally corrupting the circuitry of a Kodak DC280 2 MP digitalcamera. By rewiring the electronics of a digital camera, glitched images are produced in a manner that parallels chemically processing unexposed film or photographic paper to produce photographic images without exposure to light. The DCP Series of Digital Images are direct visualizations of data generated by a digital camera as it takes a picture. Electronic processes associated with the normal operations of the camera, which are usually taken for granted, are revealed through an act of intervention. The camera is turned inside­out through complexes of short­circuits, selected by the artist, transforming the camera from a picture taking device to a data capturing device that renders raw data (electronic signals as images. In essence, these images are snap­shots of electronic signals dancing through the camera's circuits, manually rerouted, written directly to the on­board memory device. Rather than seeing images of the world through a lens, we catch a glimpse of what the camera sees when it is forced to peer inside its own mind.

The oxygen dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a peri-alpine river (Thur, Switzerland), were studied through recording and analyzing the concentration time-series of dissolved argon, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and temperature during low flow conditions, for a period of one week. The argon concentration time-series was used to investigate the physical gas dynamics in the hyporheic zone. Differences in the transport behavior of heat and gas were determined by comparing the diel temperature evolution of groundwater to the measured concentration of dissolved argon. These differences were most likely caused by vertical heat transport which influenced the local groundwater temperature. The argon concentration time-series were also used to estimate travel times by cross correlating argon concentrations in the groundwater with argon concentrations in the river. The information gained from quantifying the physical gas transport was used to estimate the oxygen turnover in groundwater after water recharge. The resulting oxygen turnover showed strong diel variations, which correlated with the water temperature during groundwater recharge. Hence, the variation in the consumption rate was most likely caused by the temperature dependence of microbial activity.

The evolution of the micro-structure of Nb-H, during the dehydrogenation process through thermal treatment, has been studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy. The results are used in order to interpret the variation of the line resolution of Electron Channeling Pattern (ECP) of Nb-H as a function of isochronous annealing temperature. It is concluded that the improvement of the ECP line resolution is enhanced of β hydrate in Nb. (Author) [pt

Motivated by a RIXS study of Wakimoto, et al.(Phys. Rev. Lett., 102 (2009) 157001) we use density functional theory to analyze the magnetic order in the nickelate La5/3Sr1/3NiO4 and the details of its crystal and electronic structure. We compare

"Electron dropout echo" as indicated by repeated moderate dropout and recovery signatures of the flux of energetic electron in the out radiation belt region has been investigated systematically. The electron dropout and its echoes are usually found for higher energy (> 300 keV) channels fluxes, whereas the flux enhancements are obvious for lower energy electrons simultaneously after the interplanetary shock arrives at the Earth's geosynchronous orbit. 104 dropout echo events have been found from 215 interplanetary shock events from 1998 to 2007 based on LANL satellite data. In analogy to substorm injections, these 104 events could be naturally divided into two categories: dispersionless (49 events) or dispersive (55 events) according to the energy dispersion of the initial dropout. It is found that locations of dispersionless events are distributed mainly in the duskside magnetosphere. Further, the obtained locations derived from dispersive events with the time-of-flight technique of the initial dropout regions are mainly located at the duskside as well. Statistical studies have shown that the effect of shock normal, interplanetary magnetic field Bz and solar wind dynamic pressure may be insignificant to these electron dropout events. We suggest that the electric field impulse induced by the IP shock produces a more pronounced inward migration of electrons at the dusk side, resulting in the observed dusk-side moderate dropout of electron flux and its consequent echoes.

The room temperature gamma irradiation degradation of the lithographic polymers, poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), poly(methyl-α-chloroacrylate) (PMCA), poly(methyl-α-fluoroacrylate) (PMFA), and poly(methylacrylonitrile) (PMCN), have been studied by electron spin resonance and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) to assess their molecular degradation processes of relevance to electron beam lithography. Two classes of radicals are found, chain radicals and chain scission radicals. PMMA and PMCA mainly form chain scission radicals consistent with degradation while for PMCN the resolution is poorer, and this is only probable. PMFA forms mainly chain radicals consistent with predominant crosslinking. The total radical yield is greatest in PMCA and PMCN. ENDOR is used to assess the compactness of the radiation degradation region for PMMA and PMCA and hence the potential resolution of the resist; this appears to be about the same for these methacrylate polymers

We use the classical Monte Carlo transport model of electrons moving near the surface and inside solids to reproduce the measured reflection electron energy-loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectra. With the combination of the classical transport model and the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling of oscillator parameters the so-called reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) method was developed, and used to obtain optical constants of Ni in this work. A systematic study of the electronic and optical properties of Ni has been performed in an energy loss range of 0-200 eV from the measured REELS spectra at primary energies of 1000 eV, 2000 eV and 3000 eV. The reliability of our method was tested by comparing our results with the previous data. Moreover, the accuracy of our optical data has been confirmed by applying oscillator strength-sum rule and perfect-screening-sum rule.

Isochoric heating of inertially confined fusion plasmas by laser driven MeV electrons or protons is an area of great topical interest in the inertial confinement fusion community, particularly with respect to the fast ignition (FI) concept for initiating burn in a fusion capsule. In order to investigate critical aspects needed for a FI point design, experiments were performed to study 1) laser-to-electrons or protons conversion issues and 2) laser-cone interactions including prepulse effects. A large suite of diagnostics was utilized to study these important parameters. Using cone—wire surrogate targets it is found that pre-pulse levels on medium scale lasers such as Titan at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produce long scale length plasmas that strongly effect coupling of the laser to FI relevant electrons inside cones. The cone wall thickness also affects coupling to the wire. Conversion efficiency to protons has also been measured and modeled as a function of target thickness, material. Conclusions from the proton and electron source experiments will be presented. Recent advances in modeling electron transport and innovative target designs for reducing igniter energy and increasing gain curves will also be discussed. In conclusion, a program of study will be presented based on understanding the fundamental physics of the electron or proton source relevant to FI.

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Smoking cessation programs are useful in helping smokers to quit, but smoking is a very difficult addiction to break and the need for novel and effective approaches to smoking cessation interventions is unquestionable. The E-cigarette is a battery-powered electronic nicotine delivery device that may help smokers to remain abstinent during their quit attempt. We report for the first time objective measures of smoking cessation in smokers who experimented with the E-cigarette. Case presentation Three Caucasian smokers (two men aged 47 and 65 years and one woman aged 38 years with a documented history of recurring relapses were able to quit and to remain abstinent for at least six months after taking up an E-cigarette. Conclusions This is the first time that objective measures of smoking cessation are reported for smokers who quit successfully after using an E-cigarette. This was accomplished in smokers who repeatedly failed in previous attempts with professional smoking cessation assistance using the usual nicotine dependence treatments and smoking cessation counselling.

Polycrystalline samples of the series of double perovskites Sr{sub 2−x}La{sub x}FeIrO{sub 6} were synthesized. Their structural, electronic and magnetic properties were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and electrical resistivity experiments. The compounds crystallize in a monoclinic structure and were fitted in space group P2{sub 1}/n, with a significant degree of Fe/Ir cationic disorder. As in Ca{sub 2−x}La{sub x}FeIrO{sub 6} the Sr-based system seems to evolve from an antiferromagnetic ground state for the end members (x=0.0 and x=2.0) to a ferrimagnetic order in the intermediate regions (x∼1). Since Mössbauer spectra indicate that Fe valence remains 3+ with doping, this tendency of change in the nature of the microscopic interaction could be attributed to Ir valence changes, induced by La{sup 3+} electrical doping. Upon comparing both Ca and Sr series, Sr{sub 2−x}La{sub x}FeIrO{sub 6} is more structurally homogenous and presents higher magnetization and transition temperatures. Magnetic susceptibility measurements at high temperatures on Sr{sub 1.2}La{sub 0.8}FeIrO{sub 6} indicate a very high ferrimagnetic Curie temperature T{sub C}∼700K. For the Sr{sub 2}FeIrO{sub 6} compound, electrical resistivity experiments under applied pressure suggest that this material might be a Mott insulator. - Graphical abstract: The Weiss constant as a function of La doping for the (Ca,Sr){sub 2−x}La{sub x}FeIrO{sub 6} series, indicating changes in Fe–Ir magnetic coupling on both families. - Highlights: • The double perovskite series (Ca,Sr){sub 2−x}La{sub x}FeIrO{sub 6} were synthesized. • Changes in the Fe-Ir magnetic coupling due to La doping on both series. • Evidence of high T{sub C} on Sr{sub 1.2}La{sub 0.8}FeIrO{sub 6}. • Indication of Mott insulator behavior on Sr{sub 2}FeIrO{sub 6}.

A high resolution electron spectrometry of the (3lnl') Ryberg series populated in N[sup 7+] + He and Ne[sup 10+] + He collisions at 10 q keV, 10[sup o] allows us to observe, for the first time by this method, two post-collisional effects. First, it is found with nitrogen ions that, when n increases from n = 4 to 9, the L-distribution peaks more and more on the high angular momentum states. This is qualitatively understood as a Stark deformation of the Rydberg orbit by the Coulomb field of the receding ion. Also, in the n range where the double capture process populates symmetrical 4l4l' states (n>9), an enhancement of the intensities of the 3lnl' Rydberg lines is observed for both collisonal systems. This is thought to be a signature of the so-called auto transfer to Rydberg states effect. The transfer of population from the 3l4l' to the 3lnl' states is found to be favoured against a direct autoionization of these 4l4l' states into the n = 2 continuum. These experimental findings together with preliminary spectroscopic calculations concerning the configuration interaction of the Ne[sup 8+] (4l4l') states with the Ne[sup 8+](3lnl') Rydberg series are also discussed within the context of the electron stabilization which follows a double capture. (Author).

A high resolution electron spectrometry of the (3lnl') Ryberg series populated in N 7+ + He and Ne 10+ + He collisions at 10 q keV, 10 o allows us to observe, for the first time by this method, two post-collisional effects. First, it is found with nitrogen ions that, when n increases from n = 4 to 9, the L-distribution peaks more and more on the high angular momentum states. This is qualitatively understood as a Stark deformation of the Rydberg orbit by the Coulomb field of the receding ion. Also, in the n range where the double capture process populates symmetrical 4l4l' states (n>9), an enhancement of the intensities of the 3lnl' Rydberg lines is observed for both collisonal systems. This is thought to be a signature of the so-called auto transfer to Rydberg states effect. The transfer of population from the 3l4l' to the 3lnl' states is found to be favoured against a direct autoionization of these 4l4l' states into the n = 2 continuum. These experimental findings together with preliminary spectroscopic calculations concerning the configuration interaction of the Ne 8+ (4l4l') states with the Ne 8+ (3lnl') Rydberg series are also discussed within the context of the electron stabilization which follows a double capture. (Author)

For developing a novel high-current, long pulse width electron source, the theoretics and mechanism of the hollow cathode plasma electron-gun are analyzed in detail in this paper, the structure and the physical process of hollow cathode plasma electron-gun are also studied. This gun overcomes the limitations of most high-power microwave tubes, which employ either thermionic cathodes that produce low current-density beams because of the limitation of the space charge, or field-emission cathodes that offer high current density but provide only short pulse width because of plasma closure of the accelerating gap. In the theories studying on hollow cathode plasma electron-gun, the characteristic of the hollow-cathode discharge is introduced, the action during the forming of plasma of the stimulating electrode and the modulating anode are discussed, the movement of electrons and ions and the primary parameters are analyzed, and the formulas of the electric field, beam current density and the stabilization conditions of the beam current are also presented in this paper. The numerical simulation is carried out based on Poisson's equation, and the equations of current continuity and movement. And the optimized result is reported. On this basis, we have designed a hollow-cathode-plasma electron-gun, whose output pulse current is 2 kA, and pulse width is 1 microsecond

A complete and accurate experimental test of theoretical spectroscopic data sets (state positions, lifetimes) available for the n=3-5 terms of the 1s 2 3lnl' Rydberg series of oxygen and neon ions is presented in a series of two papers. This result was achieved by fitting our high-resolution electron spectra with post-collisional lineshapes calculated with the help of these spectroscopic data. In this second paper we apply the fitting procedure described in the preceding companion paper (I) to the analysis of high-resolution electron spectra measured in O 6+ (1s 2 ) + He, H 2 and Ne 8+ (1s 2 ) + He collisional systems at 10 qkeV collision energy (q is the ion charge). Singlet states alone are found to be excited in oxygen; they also explain most of the neon lines; in the latter case a possible contribution of triplet states is discussed. Many 1s 2 3lnl' 1 L transitions are identified for the first time. A quantitative comparison between measured and calculated positions clearly points to the best theoretical data currently available. Finally, a first identification of some 4l4l' 1 L transitions observed in the neon spectrum is also proposed. From this huge spectroscopic work, we extract the first experimental partial branching ratios for autoionization into the 1s 2 2l ionization continua for a large number of 1s 2 3lnl' 1 L states, which are compared with the total ones calculated by other authors; we deduce that populations of |M L vertical bar = 0 and 1 magnetic sublevels are nearly identical. The double-capture process is also briefly characterized by comparing relative populations of many n=3-5 states; it is found that the same states are populated in O 6+ +H 2 and Ne 8+ +He collisional systems with the same relative populations

Semiconductor and metallic nanocrystals exhibit interesting electronic transport behavior as a result of electrostatic and quantum mechanical confinement effects. These effects can be studied to learn about the nature of electronic states in these systems. This thesis describes several techniques for the electronicstudy of nanocrystals. The primary focus is the development of novel methods to attach leads to prefabricated nanocrystals. This is because, while nanocrystals can be readily synthesized from a variety of materials with excellent size control, means to make electrical contact to these nanocrystals are limited. The first approach that will be described uses scanning probe microscopy to first image and then electrically probe surfaces. It is found that electronic investigations of nanocrystals by this technique are complicated by tip-sample interactions and environmental factors such as salvation and capillary forces. Next, an atomic force microscope technique for the catalytic patterning of the surface of a self assembled monolayer is described. In principle, this nano-fabrication technique can be used to create electronic devices which are based upon complex arrangements of nanocrystals. Finally, the fabrication and electrical characterization of a nanocrystal-based single electron transistor is presented. This device is fabricated using a hybrid scheme which combines electron beam lithography and wet chemistry to bind single nanocrystals in tunneling contact between closely spaced metallic leads. In these devices, both Au and CdSe nanocrystals show Coulomb blockade effects with characteristic energies of several tens of meV. Additional structure is seen the transport behavior of CdSe nanocrystals as a result of its electronic structure.

many other scientists to Washington University in St. Louis. Work on human placental ultrastructure was initiated at Cambridge and Kyoto whilst domestic animals were initially studied by Björkman in Stockholm and electron micrographs of bat placenta were published by Wimsatt of Cornell University......BACKGROUND: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was first applied to study placental ultrastructure in the 1950's. We review those early studies and mention the scientists that employed or encouraged the use of TEM. FINDINGS: Among the pioneers Edward W. Dempsey was a key figure who attracted...

Using first-principles calculations, we study the geometrical structure, electronic structure and magnetic properties of substitutionally doped blue phosphorene with a series of nonmetallic atoms, including F, Cl, B, N, C, Si and O. The calculated formation energies and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that F, Cl, B, N, C, Si and O doped blue phosphorene are stable. Moreover, the substitutional doping of F, Cl, B and N cannot induce the magnetism in blue phosphorene due to the saturation or pairing of the valence electron of dopant and its neighboring P atoms. In contrast, ground states of C, Si and O doped blue phosphorene are spin-polarized and the magnetic moments induced by a doping atom are all 1.0 μ{sub B}, which is attributed to the appearance of an unpaired valence electron of C and Si and the formation of a nonbonding 3p electron of a neighboring P atom around O. Furthermore, the magnetic coupling between the moments induced by two C, Si and O are found to be long-range anti-ferromagnetic and the origin of the coupling can be attributed to the p–p hybridization interaction involving polarized electrons. - Highlights: • F, Cl, B, N, C, Si and O doped blue phosphorene are stable. • Substitutional doping of C, Si and O can produce the magnetism in blue phosphorene. • Magnetic coupling between two C, Si and O is long-range anti-ferromagnetic.

In many community time seriesstudies on the effect of particulate air pollution on mortality, particulate air pollution is modeled additively. In this study, we investigated the interaction between daily particulate air pollution and daily mean temperature in Cook County, Illinois and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, using data for the period 1987-1994. This was done through the use of joint particulate air pollution-temperature response surfaces and by stratifying the effect of particulate air pollution on mortality by temperature. Evidence that the effect of particulate air pollution on mortality may depend on temperature is found. However, the results were sensitive to the number of degrees of freedom used in the confounder adjustments, the particulate air pollution exposure measure, and how the effects of temperature on mortality are modeled. The results were less sensitive to the estimation method used--generalized linear models and natural cubic splines or generalized additive models and smoothing splines. The results of this study suggest that in community particulate air pollution mortality time seriesstudies the possibility of an interaction between daily particulate air pollution and daily mean temperature should be considered

Several random process models in the time domain are defined and discussed. Attention is given to the moving average model, the autoregressive model, and relationships between and combinations of these models. Consideration is then given to methods for investigating pulse structure, procedures of model construction, computational methods, and numerical experiments. A FORTRAN algorithm of time series analysis has been developed which is relatively stable numerically. Results of test cases are given to study the effect of adding noise and of different distributions for the pulse amplitudes. A preliminary analysis of the light curve of the quasar 3C 272 is considered as an example.

Full Text Available Good track geometry state ensures the safe operation of the railway passenger service and freight service. Railway transportation plays an important role in the Chinese economic and social development. This paper studies track irregularity standard deviation time series data and focuses on the characteristics and trend changes of track state by applying clustering analysis. Linear recursive model and linear-ARMA model based on wavelet decomposition reconstruction are proposed, and all they offer supports for the safe management of railway transportation.

Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) is a group of inherited blistering diseases characterized by epidermal-dermal separation resulting from mutations that affect the function of critical components of the basement membrane zone. This group of autosomal recessive diseases is especially prevalent in regions where consanguinity is common, such as the Middle East. However, the clinical and genetic epidemiology of JEB in this region remains largely unexplored. The aim of the present study was to assess a series of consanguineous JEB families originating from the Middle East. We identified 7 families referred to us between 1998 and 1999 and originating from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, and Israel. Histologic, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy studies were performed to direct the subsequent molecular analysis. DNA obtained from all family members was amplified by means of polymerase chain reaction and analyzed by conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis with subsequent direct sequencing. In 6 families presenting with the clinical and histologic features distinctive for JEB, mutations in genes encoding 1 of the 3 subunit polypeptides of laminin-5 were identified. Two families each had mutations in LAMB3, 2 in LAMA3, and 2 in LAMC2. Out of 7 distinct mutations, 5 were novel and 2 were recurrent. No relationship was found between the presence of nonsense/frameshift mutations in laminin-5 genes and perinatal mortality, contradicting a major genotype-phenotype correlation previously reported in the European and US literature. Similarly, none of the recurrent LAMB3 hot spot mutations previously described in other populations was found in our series. Finally, in a family with the clinical diagnosis of generalized atrophic benign epidermolysis bullosa, a homozygous non-sense mutation in Col17A1 gene (encoding the BPAG2 antigen) was identified. The present report suggests (1) the existence of a unique spectrum of mutations in the Middle East

Full Text Available The journal is fundamental to formal scholarly communication. This research reports highlights and preliminary findings from an empirical study of scholarly electronic journals. The purpose of the research is to assess the impact of electronic journals (e-journals on scholarly communication, by measuring the extent to which they are being cited in the literature, both print and electronic. The intent is to provide a snapshot of the impact e-journals were having on scholarly communication at a given point in time, roughly the end of 1995. This study provides one measure of that impact, specifically on the formal, as opposed to informal, communication process. The study also examines the forms in which scholars cite e-journals, the accuracy and completeness of citations to e-journals, and practical difficulties faced by scholars and researchers who wish to retrieve e-journals through the networks.

The framework of this PhD thesis is the inertial confinement fusion for energy production, in the context of the electron fast ignition scheme. The work consists in a characterization of the transport mechanisms of fast electrons, driven by intense laser pulses (10 19 - 10 20 W/cm 2 ) in both cold-solid and warm-dense matter. The first goal was to study the propagation of a fast electron beam, characterized by a current density ≥ 10 11 A/cm 2 , in aluminum targets initially heated close to the Fermi temperature by a counter-propagative planar shock. The planar compression geometry allowed us to discriminate the energy losses due to the resistive mechanisms from collisional ones by comparing solid and compressed targets of the same initial areal densities. We observed for the first time a significant increase of resistive energy losses in heated aluminum samples. The confrontation of the experimental data with the simulations, including a complete characterization of the electron source, of the target compression and of the fast electron transport, allowed us to study the time-evolution of the material resistivity. The estimated resistive electron stopping power in a warm-compressed target is of the same order as the collisional one. We studied the transport of the fast electrons generated in the interaction of a high-contrast laser pulse with a hollow copper cone, buried into a carbon layer, compressed by a counter-propagative planar shock. A X-ray imaging system allowed us to visualize the coupling of the laser pulse with the cone at different moments of the compression. This diagnostic, giving access to the fast electron spatial distribution, showed a fast electron generation in the entire volume of the cone for late times of compression, after shock breakout from the inner cone tip. For earlier times, the interaction at a high-contrast ensured that the source was contained within the cone tip, and the fast electron beam was collimated into the target depth by

In the present study, a seasonal and non-seasonal prediction of boron concentrations time series data for the period of 1996-2004 from Büyük Menderes river in western Turkey are addressed by means of linear stochastic models. The methodology presented here is to develop adequate linear stochastic models known as autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and multiplicative seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) to predict boron content in the Büyük Menderes catchment. Initially, the Box-Whisker plots and Kendall's tau test are used to identify the trends during the study period. The measurements locations do not show significant overall trend in boron concentrations, though marginal increasing and decreasing trends are observed for certain periods at some locations. ARIMA modeling approach involves the following three steps: model identification, parameter estimation, and diagnostic checking. In the model identification step, considering the autocorrelation function (ACF) and partial autocorrelation function (PACF) results of boron data series, different ARIMA models are identified. The model gives the minimum Akaike information criterion (AIC) is selected as the best-fit model. The parameter estimation step indicates that the estimated model parameters are significantly different from zero. The diagnostic check step is applied to the residuals of the selected ARIMA models and the results indicate that the residuals are independent, normally distributed, and homoscadastic. For the model validation purposes, the predicted results using the best ARIMA models are compared to the observed data. The predicted data show reasonably good agreement with the actual data. The comparison of the mean and variance of 3-year (2002-2004) observed data vs predicted data from the selected best models show that the boron model from ARIMA modeling approaches could be used in a safe manner since the predicted values from these models preserve the basic

Full Text Available Considering perennial relation of the masses with concepts of determinism and free will, the intrinsic importance of these concepts in the area of religion, as well as regarding the ability of media in constructing the masses’ narrative of existence and also taking into account relations between religion, state and television in Iran, this study seeks to answer the question raised in the sample case study of a religious serial concerning representation of free will to its audiences. Hence, a brief introduction of the concept in Islamic thought and its implications has offered at first, to recognize the implied conflict between absolute determinism and absolute discretion in the practical part of this research. Adopting representational theory approach, we have used a combination of discourse analysis approaches and Greimas actantial model to analyze the serial dialogs about free will and underlying structure of activism, respectively. In this study we have shown that the series inspires deterministic-oriented discourse, by drawing actors’ charts of opening and final sequences as well as their schematic diagram. Type of narrative sequences and activity pattern also are deterministic, and the series is based on retributive nature of difficulties and reward-oriented character of pleasures. Two signifiers of fatalism and dreamful are attracted in its discourse area and influencing of social structures is rejected.

The paper concerns measurements of runaway electrons (REs) which are generated during discharges in tokamaks. The control of REs is an important task in experimental studies within the ITER-physics program. The NCBJ team proposed to study REs by means of Cherenkov-type detectors several years ago. The Cherenkov radiation, induced by REs in appropriate radiators, makes it possible to identify fast electron beams and to determine their spatial- and temporal-characteristics. The results of recent experimental studies of REs, performed in two tokamaks - COMPASS in Prague and FTU in Frascati, are summarized and discussed in this paper. Examples of the electron-induced signals, as recorded at different experimental conditions and scenarios, are presented. Measurements performed with a three-channel Cherenkov-probe in COMPASS showed that the first fast electron peaks can be observed already during the current ramp-up phase. A strong dependence of RE-signals on the radial position of the Cherenkov probe was observed. The most distinct electron peaks were recorded during the plasma disruption. The Cherenkov signals confirmed the appearance of post-disruptive RE beams in circular-plasma discharges with massive Ar-puffing. During experiments at FTU a clear correlation between the Cherenkov detector signals and the rotation of magnetic islands was identified.

Burnoffs (intentional fires for agricultural purposes) and forest fires of large proportions have been observed in various regions of the planet. Exposure to high levels of air pollutants emitted by fires can be responsible for various harmful effects on human health. In this article, the literature on estimating acute effects of air pollution on human health by fires in the regions with the highest number of fires on the planet, using a time series approach is summarized. An attempt was made to identify gaps in knowledge. The study consisted of a narrative review, in which the characteristics of the selected studies were grouped by regions of the planet with a higher incidence of burnoffs: Amazon, America, Australia and Asia. The results revealed a large number of studies in Australia, few studies in the Amazon and great heterogeneity in the results on the significant effects on human health.

Materials and molecular systems exhibiting long-lived electronic coherence can facilitate coherent transport, opening the door to efficient charge and energy transport beyond traditional methods. Recently, signatures of a possible coherent, recurrent electronic motion were identified in femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy experiments on a binuclear platinum complex, where a persistent periodic beating in the transient absorption signal’s anisotropy was observed. In this study, we investigate the excitonic dynamics that underlie the suspected electronic coherence for a series of binuclear platinum complexes exhibiting a range of interplatinum distances. Results suggest that the long-lived coherence can only result when competitive electronic couplings are in balance. At longer Pt-Pt distances, the electronic couplings between the two halves of the binuclear system weaken, and exciton localization and recombination is favored on short time scales. For short Pt-Pt distances, electronic couplings between the states in the coherent superposition are stronger than the coupling with other excitonic states, leading to long-lived coherence.

Radiation effects in electronic devices are a major challenge in the dependable application developments of nuclear power plant instrumentation and control systems. The main radiation effects are total ionization dose (TID) effects, displacement damage dose (DDD) effects and single event effects (SEE). In this study, we are concentrating on TID effects in electronic devices. The focus of the study is mainly on SRAM based field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) along with that the devices of our interest are voltage regulators, flash memory and optocoupler. The experiments are conducted by exposing the devices to gamma radiation in power off condition and the degradation in the performances are analysed

The depth absorbed dose distribution by electron beams was studied. The influence of the beam energy, the energy spread, field size and design characteristics of the accelerator was relieved. Three accelerators with different scattering and collimation systems were studied leading todifferent depth dose distributions. A theoretical model was constructed in order to explain the increase in the depth dose in the build-up region with the increase of the energy. The model utilizes a three-dimensional formalism based on the Fermi-Eyges multiple scattering theory, with the introduction of modifications that takes into account the criation of secondary electrons. (Author) [pt

Electron holography was applied to study the microstructure evolution of magnetic tunnelling junctions (MTJs) CoFe/AlO x /Co annealed at different temperatures. A mean inner potential barrier was observed in the as-deposited MTJ sample, while it was changed to a potential well after a 200 deg. C or a 400 deg. C annealing. It is suggested that the oxygen atoms were redistributed during the annealing, which left metallic atoms acting as acceptors to confine the electrons, leading to the decrease of the potential of the AlO x barrier layer. The results suggest that the electron holography may be a useful tool for the study of the microstructure of amorphous materials

By rigid cytological and cytochemical criteria, the diagnosis of acute and undifferentiated leukemia was established in 22 patients. According to defined criteria, the leukemic cells could not be classified by conventional light microscopic techniques employed in the study of hematopoietic tissue. Cytochemical studies including peroxidase, periodic acid schiff (PAS) and nonspecific esterase (alpha napthyl butyrate-reacting esterase) stains were done on fresh bone marrow samples, and the percentage of positive leukemia cells for each of these stains was determined on 200 cells. In this series of leukemias, cytochemistry at the light microscope level did not contribute to further classification. Subsequent electron microscopic examination of bone marrow samples from these patients confirmed the immaturity and nuclear/cytoplasmic asynchrony of the leukemic cells. Several in vivo neoplastic markers, such as nuclear blebs, increased nuclear bodies, and cytoplasmic fibrillar bundles could be demonstrated in these cells. Fourteen cases from this series exhibited peroxidase-positive developmental granule formation at the ultrastructural level and were reclassified as acute granulocyte leukemia (AGL). One case was reclassified as lymphoma (poor differentiated type), one case was diagnosed as acute monocytic leukemia (AmonoL), and six cases remained in the undifferentiated category (AUL). Clinical and laboratory features, response to treatment, and survival data were evaluated for these patients. This study demonstrated that electron microscopy is useful in the cytological diagnosis of human leukemia.

Research is described in development of a high-pressure electron-resonance probe capable of operating down to 1.5 0 K temperatures. The apparatus has been used to measure the EPR of a sample of DPPH at room temperature and zero pressure. EPR has been used to measure valence field instabilities in alloy systems. Studies have been done on metal-insulator transitions at high pressure, and are briefly described

Full text: Electron transport systems exist in the plasma membranes of all cells. These systems appear to play a role in cell growth and proliferation, intracellular signalling, hormone responses, apoptotic events, cell defence and perhaps most importantly they enable the cell to respond to changes in the redox state of both the intra- and extracellular environments. Previously, 13 C NMR has been used to study transmembrane electron transport in human erythrocytes, specifically the reduction of extracellular 13 C-ferricyanide. NMR is a particularly useful tool for studying such systems as changes in the metabolic state of the cell can be observed concomitantly with extracellular reductase activity. We investigated the oxidation of extracellular NADH by human erythrocytes using 1 H and 31 P NMR spectroscopy. Recent results for glucose-starved human erythrocytes indicate that, under these conditions, extracellular NADH can be oxidised at the plasma membrane with the electron transfer across the membrane resulting in reduction of intracellular NAD + . The activity is inhibited by known trans-plasma membrane electron transport inhibitors (capsaicin and atebrin) and is unaffected by inhibition of the erythrocyte Band 3 anion transporter. These results suggest that electron import from extracellular NADH allows the cell to re-establish a reducing environment after the normal redox balance is disturbed

In the experiment of gas laser pumped by electron beam, large area uniform electron beam is important to generate high efficiency laser output. The experimental study on generation of large area uniform electron beam with SPG-200 pulsed power generator is introduced. SPG-200 is an all-solid-state components pulsed power generator based on SOS, and its open voltage is more than 350 kV. The cathode have the area of 24 mm x 294 mm, and the anode-cathode(A-C)gap spacing is adjustable from 0 to 49 mm. The electron beam of cathode emission is transported to the laser chamber through the diode pressure foil, which sepa-rates the vacuum chamber from the laser chamber. Velvet and graphite cathodes are studied, each generates large area electron beam. The diode parameters are presented, and the uniformity of e-beam is diagnosed. The experimental results show that the diode voltage of the graphite cathode is 240-280 kV, and the diode current is 0.7-1.8 kA. The diode voltage of the velvet cathode is 200-250 kV, and the diode current is 1.5-1.7 kA. The uniformity of the velvet cathode emission is better than that of the graphite cathode. (authors)

HMIP has a research programme investigating some naturally radioactive sites as geochemical analogues of radionuclide migration. The objective is to test thermodynamic databases and computer codes used for modelling radionuclide migration under environmental conditions. This report describes the study of transport and retardation processes affecting natural radionuclides, mainly uranium (U), in the vicinity of pitchblende veins in the cliff at Needle's Eye on the Solway Coast, SW Scotland. The natural decay series results from this study have been used to develop a well constrained geochemical model within which the codes can be tested. A conceptual geochemical model for the behaviour of U at the site was developed in stage I of the study; work in stage II is concerned with improving the information available on the U source term, groundwater chemistry, U aqueous phase specification, U retardation by fracture-lining minerals during fissure flow of groundwater, U-organic associations and loss of U from the site by stream drainage. (author)

We have studied the electronic and optical properties of Fe, Pd, and Ti by reflection electron energy-loss spectroscopy (REELS). REELS spectra recorded for primary energies in the range from 300 eV to 10 keV were corrected for multiple inelastically scattered electrons to determine the effective inelastic-scattering cross section. The dielectric functions and optical properties were determined by comparing the experimental inelastic-electron scattering cross section with a simulated cross section calculated within the semi-classical dielectric response model in which the only input is Im(−1/ε) by using the QUEELS-ε(k,ω)-REELS software package. The complex dielectric functions ε(k,ω), in the 0–100 eV energy range, for Fe, Pd, and Ti were determined from the derived Im(−1/ε) by Kramers-Kronig transformation and then the refractive index n and extinction coefficient k. The validity of the applied model was previously tested and found to give consistent results when applied to REELS spectra at energies between 300 and 1000 eV taken at widely different experimental geometries. In the present paper, we provide, for the first time, a further test on its validity and find that the model also gives consistent results when applied to REELS spectra in the full range of primary electron energies from 300 eV to 10000 eV. This gives confidence in the validity of the applied method.

This report describes the surface architecture of leukemic cells, as seen by scanning electron microscopy in 34 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. Six patients with myeloblastic, 4 with promyelocytic, 10 with myelomonocytic, 8 with monocytic, 4 with histiocytic and 2 with undifferentiated leukemia were studied. Under the scanning electron microscope most leukemia histiocytes and monocytes appeared similar and were characterized by the presence of large, well developed broad-based ruffled membranes or prominent raised ridge-like profiles, resembling ithis respect normal monocytes. Most cells from patients with acute promyelocytic or myeloblastic leukemia exhibited narrower ridge-like profiles whereas some showed ruffles or microvilli. Patients with myelomonocytic leukemia showed mixed populations of cells with ridge-like profiles and ruffled membranes whereas cells from two patients with undifferentiated leukemia had smooth surfaces, similar to those encountered in cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It appears that nonlymphoblastic and lymphoblastic leukemia cells (particularly histiocytes and monocytes) can frequently be distinquished on the basis of their surface architecture. The surface features of leukemic histiocytes and monocytes are similar, suggesting that they may belong to the same cell series. The monocytes seem to have characteristic surface features recognizable with the scanning electron microscope and differ from most cells from patients with acute granulocytic leukemia. Although overlap of surface features and misidentification can occur, scanning electron microscopy is a useful adjunct to other modes of microscopy in the study and diagnosis of acute leukemia.

Compared to other radiation therapy modalities, clinical electron beam therapy has remained practically unchanged for the past few decades even though electron beams with multiple energies are widely available on most linacs. In this paper, we present the concept of dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR), a new conformal electron therapy technique with synchronized couch motion. DEAR utilizes combination of gantry rotation, couch motion, and dose rate modulation to achieve desirable dose distributions in patient. The electron applicator is kept to minimize scatter and maintain narrow penumbra. The couch motion is synchronized with the gantry rotation to avoid collision between patient and the electron cone. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of DEAR delivery and demonstrate the potential of DEAR to improve dose distributions on simple cylindrical phantoms. DEAR was delivered on Varian's TrueBeam linac in Research Mode. In conjunction with the recorded trajectory log files, mechanical motion accuracies and dose rate modulation precision were analyzed. Experimental and calculated dose distributions were investigated for different energies (6 and 9 MeV) and cut-out sizes (1×10 cm 2 and 3×10 cm 2 for a 15×15 cm 2 applicator). Our findings show that DEAR delivery is feasible and has the potential to deliver radiation dose with high accuracy (root mean square error, or RMSE of <0.1 MU, <0.1° gantry, and <0.1 cm couch positions) and good dose rate precision (1.6 MU min −1 ). Dose homogeneity within ±2% in large and curved targets can be achieved while maintaining penumbra comparable to a standard electron beam on a flat surface. Further, DEAR does not require fabrication of patient-specific shields. These benefits make DEAR a promising technique for conformal radiotherapy of superficial tumors. (paper)

The goal of this thesis is the study of fast electron dynamics by means of the hard X-ray diagnosis installed in TORE SUPRA and numerical simulations. Fast electrons are generated in the plasma in the presence of the injected lower hybrid (LH) waves. Two aspects are studied in detail: the lower hybrid wave propagation and absorption in a periodically perturbed media and 2-D Fokker-Planck modelling of the fast electron dynamics in the presence of the LH power. Ripple effects on lower hybrid wave propagation and absorption are investigated using the ray tracing technique. A cylindrical equilibrium is first studied and a strong modification of the ray dynamics is predicted. Calculations are carried out in a real toroidal geometry corresponding to TORE SUPRA. It is shown that the lack of toroidal axisymmetry of the magnetic field may result in a modification of the ray evolution even if the global ray evolution is governed by the larger poloidal inhomogeneity. Simulation of LH experiments are performed for TORE SUPRA tokamak which has a large magnetic ripple (7% at the plasma edge). By considering ripple perturbation in LH current drive simulations, a better agreement is found with experimental results, in particular with the hard-X spectra and the current density profiles. In the second part of the thesis, a 2-D modeling of the fast electron dynamics in the velocity phase space is considered, based on the 2-D relativistic electron Fokker-Planck equation. Electron distribution functions obtained are used to calculate non-thermal Bremsstrahlung emission for different TORE SUPRA shots in a wide range of experimental conditions. (J.S.). 168 refs., 93 figs., 1 tab., 3 appendix

The primary purpose of this guide is to describe each series of records which pertains to studies of worker health and mortality funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Hanford site. Additionally, the guide provides information on the location and classification of the records and how they may be accessed. History Associates Incorporated (HAI) prepared this guide as part of its work as the support services contractor for DOE`s Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project. This introduction briefly describes the Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project, HAI`s role in the project, the history of the DOE and the Hanford site, and Hanford`s organizational structure. It provides information on the methodology used to inventory and describe pertinent records stored in various onsite offices, in Hanford`s Records Holding Area (RHA), and at the Seattle Federal Records Center (SFRC). Other topics include the methodology used to produce the guide, the arrangement of the record Series descrimations, and information on accessing records repositories.

The structure of three types of Photosystem I (PS I) complex isolated from spinach chloroplasts was studied by electron microscopy and computer image analysis. Molecular projections (top views and side views) of a native PS I complex (PSI-200), an antenna-depleted PS I complex (PSI-100) and the PS I

Forty stainless steel endodontic files were observed at scanning electron microscopy after being subjected to ten disinfection cycles of 10 minutes each one, immersed in different chemical disinfectants. Corrosion was not observed on the surface of the files in circumstances that this study was made.

Industrial-style MoS2-based hydrotreating catalysts are studied using electron microscopy. The MoS2 nanostructures are imaged with single-atom sensitivity to reveal the catalytically important edge structures. Furthermore, the in-situ formation of MoS2 crystals is imaged for the first time....

Electronic performance support systems (EPSS) deliver relevant support information to users while they are performing tasks. The present study examined the effect of different types of EPSS on user performance, attitudes, system use and time on task. Employees at a manufacturing company were asked to complete a procedural software task and…

Shows how the rate of reaction can be studied using a simple electronic device that overcomes the difficulty students encounter in solving the differential equations describing chemical equilibrium. The device, used in conjunction with an oscilloscope, supplies the voltages that represent the chemical variables that take part in the equilibrium.…

Multiple scattering of an intensive electron beam at 28 keV energy passing through a melting channel in iron targets is experimentally studied. The dependence of scattering on the melting current value is established. The material density in the channel on the basis of the binary collision method is evaluated. It is shown that these density values are of three orders less than the estimations made on the basis of the data on energy losses of electrons in the channel. 6 refs.; 4 figs

We have measured the mobility of surface state electrons (SSE) on liquid 3 He, μ 3 , aiming to study the elementary surface excitations of the Fermi liquid. A gradual increase of μ 3 below 300 mK is attributed to the scattering of electrons by ripplons. Ripplons do exist in 3 He down to 100 mK. We observe an abrupt decrease of μ 3 , due to the transition to the Wigner solid (WS). The dependences of the WS conductivity and mobility on temperature and magnetic field differ from the SSE behavior on liquid 4 He

The theoretical characteristics of the electron linear accelerator are: 30 MeV for the energy W S and 250 mA for the peak current I c . The main utilization is the intense production of fast neutrons by the reactions (γ,n) and (γ,f) induced in a target of natural uranium by the accelerated electrons. In the first part of the thesis, relative to the study and the realization of the accelerator, a new equation of dispersion is established analytically when the guide is loaded with round-edged irises. The relation is compared with the equation established by CHU and Hansen, WALKINSHAW, KVASIL in the case of a guide loaded with flat-edged irises. The experimental and theoretical curves of dispersion are compared. The accuracy of every relation of dispersion is estimated. The second part of the thesis is relative to the theoretical study of the electrons dynamics in the guide; it allows the derivation of the parameters of the beam: dispersion of phase, energy, dispersion of energy and the relation W S = f (I c ). The results relative to the first experiments are given and compared with the theoretical expectations. (author) [fr

Full Text Available We have investigated the effects of Compton broadening due to electron-photon scattering in hot stellar atmospheres. A purely electron-photon scattering media is assumed to have plane parallel geometry with an input radia­tion field localized on one side of the slab. The method is based on the discrete space theory of radiative transfer for the intensity of emitted radiation. The solution is developed to study the importance of scattering of radiation by free electrons in high temperature stellar atmospheres which produces a brodening and shift in spectral lines because of the Compton effect and the Doppler effect arising from mass and thermal motions of scattering electrons. It is noticed that the Comptonized spectrum depends on three parameters: the optical depth of the medium, the temperature of the thermal electrons and the viewing angle. We also showed that the Compton effect produces red shift and asymmetry in the line. These two effects increase as the optical depth increases. It is also noticed that the emergent specific intensities become completely asymmetric for higher optical depths.

Full Text Available We have investigated the effects of Compton broadening due to electron-photon scattering in hot stellar atmospheres. A purely electron-photon scattering media is assumed to have plane parallel geometry with an input radiation field localized on one side of the slab. The method is based on the discrete space theory of radiative transfer for the intensity of emitted radiation.The solution is developed to study the importance of scattering of radiation by free electrons in high temperature stellar atmospheres which produces a brodening and shift in spectral lines because of the Compton effect and the Doppler effect arising from mass and thermal motions of scattering electrons.It is noticed that the Comptonized spectrum depends on three parameters: the optical depth of the medium, the temperature of the thermal electrons and the viewing angle.We also showed that the Compton effect produces red shift and asymmetry in the line. These two effects increase as the optical depth increases. It is also noticed that the emergent specific intensities become completely asymmetric for higher optical depths.

For certain critical applications such as medical device sterilization and food irradiation, accurate calibration of electron energy and absorbed dose is required to assure the quality of irradiated products. To meet this requirement, TRCRE, JAERI has carried out research and development on high dose radiation dosimetry for electron beams in the energy range used in radiation processing (0.15 - 3.0 MeV). JAERI has developed a simultaneous electron beam energy and dosimeter calibration system that consist of a total absorption calorimeter, an electron current density meter, and a stacked thin-film dosimeter set. For low energy electrons, where it is important to measure the depth-dose profile in materials with high depth resolution, we studied the feasibility of a method using Gafchromic film dosimeters. This film, which has an 8-μm thick sensitive layer, is combined with a stepped array of absorber films of the same thickness to produce a high-resolution depth-dose profile on the Gafchromic film. The depth-dose profile obtained in this manner has about five times greater resolution than conventional radiochromic film dosimetry. (author)

A Hollow Electron Lens (HEL) has been proposed in order to improve performance of halo control and collimation in the Large Hadron Collider in view of its High Luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). The concept is based on a beam of electrons that travels around the protons for a few meters. The electron beam is produced by a cathode and then guided by a strong magnetic field generated by a set of superconducting solenoids. The first step of the design is the definition of the magnetic fields that drive the electron trajectories. The estimation of such trajectories by means of a dedicated MATLAB® tool is presented. The influence of the main geometrical and electrical parameters are analysed and discussed. Then, the main mechanical design choices for the solenoids, cryostats gun and collector are described. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the preliminary design of the Electron Lens for LHC. The methods used in this study also serve as examples for future mechanical and integration designs of similar ...

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Phase II upgrade aims to increase the accelerator luminosity by a factor of 5-10. Due to the expected higher radiation levels and the aging of the current electronics, a new readout system for the Tile hadronic calorimeter (TileCal) of the ATLAS experiment is needed. A prototype of the upgrade TileCal electronics has been tested using the beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator at CERN. Data were collected with beams of muons, electrons and hadrons at various incident energies and impact angles. The muon data allow to study the response dependence on the incident point and angle in a cell and inter-calibration of the response between cells. The electron data are used to determine the linearity of the electron energy measurement. The hadron data allow to determined the calorimeter response to pions, kaons and protons and tune the calorimeter simulation to that data. The results of the ongoing data analyses are discussed in the presentation.

Extensive analysis of disruptions in JET has helped advance the understanding of trends of disruption-generated runaway electrons. Tomographic reconstruction of the soft x-ray emission has made possible a detailed observation of the magnetic flux geometry evolution during disruptions. With the aid of soft and hard x-ray diagnostics runaway electrons have been detected at the very beginning of disruptions. A study of runaway electron parameters has shown that an approximate upper bound for the conversion efficiency of pre-disruptive plasma currents into runaways is about 60% over a wide range of plasma currents in JET. Runaway generation has been simulated with a test particle model in order to verify the results of experimental data analysis and to obtain the background for extrapolation of the existing results onto larger devices such as ITER. It was found that close agreement between the modelling results and experimental data could be achieved if in the calculations the post-disruption plasma electron temperature was assumed equal to 10 eV and if the plasma column geometry evolution is taken into account in calculations. The experimental trends and numerical simulations show that runaway electrons are a critical issue for ITER and, therefore, the development of mitigation methods, which suppress runaway generation, is an essential task

The aetiology of status asthmaticus (SA), a complication of severe asthma, is unknown. Fungal exposure, as measured by fungal atopy, is a major risk factor for developing asthma, but the relationship of fungi in SA per se has not previously been reported. In this five patient retrospective case seriesstudy, lower respiratory tract cultures were performed on bronchoalveolar lavage or tracheal aspirate fluid, comparing standard clinical laboratory cultures with a specialized technique in which respiratory mucus was removed prior to culture. We show mucolytic treatment allows increased detection of fungal growth, especially yeast, from the lower airways of all SA patients. We also demonstrate that the yeast Candida albicans inhalation readily induces asthma-like disease in mice. Our observations suggest, SA may represent a fungal infectious process, and supports additional prospective studies utilizing anti-fungal therapy to supplement conventional therapy, broad-spectrum antibiotics and high-dose glucocorticoids, which can promote fungal overgrowth. PMID:23280490

The design of a non-adiabatic gun capable of producing a 10 A, 50 KeV high-quality laminar electron beam is reported. In contrast to the magnetron injection gun with a conical cathode, where the beam is generated initially with a transverse velocity component, in the non-adiabatic gun electrons are extracted in a direction parallel to the axial guide magnetic field. The beam electrons acquire cyclotron motion as result of non-adiabatic processes in a strong non uniform electric field across the modulation anode. Such an extraction method gives rise to favourable features that are explored throughout the work. An extensive numerical simulation study has also been done to minimize velocity and energy spreads. (author). 3 refs, 5 figs, 1 tab

The electronic structure of a charged polysilane molecle is studied. The transient absorption spectroscopy was carried out for charged radicals of poly (methylphenylsilane): PMPS by pico-second and nanosecond pulse radiolysis technique. It was observed that the peak of the transient absorption spectra shifted to longer wavelength region within a few nsec, and an increase was observed in the optical density at 370 nm, which had been already assigned to the radical anions of PMPS. It is ascribed to inter-segment electron transfer (intra-molecular transfer) through polymer chain. The nanosecond pulse radiolysis experiments gave similar kinetic traces in near-UV and IR region. This suggests the presence of an interband level, that is, a polaron level occupied by an excess electron or a hole. (author)

International Acer Incorporated, Hsin Chu, Taiwan Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, Taichung, Taiwan American Institute of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan...Singapore and Malaysia .5 - 4 - The largest market for semiconductor products is the high technology consumer electronics industry that consumes up...Singapore, and Malaysia . A new semiconductor facility costs around $3 billion to build and takes about two years to become operational

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the neo-institutional approach as a methodological basis in the study of electronic government. In this article substantiates the choice of neo-institutional approach to the study of the processes of implementation of information and communication technologies in the activity of state institutions, analyzes the differences of neoinstitutionalism from traditional institutional approach, considers the features of the different directions of neo-institutionalism, namely sociological, historical and rational choice theory. Attention is paid to the reasons for the renewed interest in political institutions in political science. The article emphasizes the importance of considering the electronic government as an institution, and the conditions for its implementation in the Russian political system as the institutional environment. The authors pay special attention to the variety of sociological neo-institutionalism, used, in addition to political science in sociology of organizations. The article substantiates the value of using sociological institutionalism to explore the electronic government based on a comparative analysis of e-government projects in Russia and abroad and explores its heuristic capabilities. It examines the impact of the system of norms and values of the institutional environment on the processes of formation and development of electronic government in Russia. The research capacity of this theory is due to the fact that it allows us to trace the reasons for copying and replication of inefficient practices and organizational and management schemes, to identify the factors impeding innovation use by the state of electronic interaction technologies. It is emphasized that the use of the theory of institutional isomorphism is useful in the sphere of implementation of electronic technologies, in which a key role play pluralism, horizontal managerial communication, inter-agency coordination.

The theoretical characteristics of the electron linear accelerator are: 30 MeV for the energy W{sub S} and 250 mA for the peak current I{sub c}. The main utilization is the intense production of fast neutrons by the reactions ({gamma},n) and ({gamma},f) induced in a target of natural uranium by the accelerated electrons. In the first part of the thesis, relative to the study and the realization of the accelerator, a new equation of dispersion is established analytically when the guide is loaded with round-edged irises. The relation is compared with the equation established by CHU and Hansen, WALKINSHAW, KVASIL in the case of a guide loaded with flat-edged irises. The experimental and theoretical curves of dispersion are compared. The accuracy of every relation of dispersion is estimated. The second part of the thesis is relative to the theoretical study of the electrons dynamics in the guide; it allows the derivation of the parameters of the beam: dispersion of phase, energy, dispersion of energy and the relation W{sub S} = f (I{sub c}). The results relative to the first experiments are given and compared with the theoretical expectations. (author) [French] Les caracteristiques nominales theoriques de l'accelerateur lineaire d'electrons sont: 30 MeV pour l'energie W{sub S} et 250 mA pour le courant de crete I{sub c}. L'utilisation principale envisagee est la production de neutrons rapides par les reactions ({gamma},n) et ({gamma},f) induites dans une cible d'uranium naturel par les electrons acceleres. Dans la premiere partie de la these relative a l'elude et a la realisation de l'accelerateur, une nouvelle equation de dispersion (ou equation aux frequences) est etablie analytiquement pour un guide charge par des iris a bord rond. Cette relation est comparee a celles etablies par CHU et HANSEN, WALKINSHAW, KVASIL dans le cas du guide charge par des iris a bord plat. On compare les courbes de dispersion theoriques et experimentales et on evalue la precision de

Full Text Available The article investigates the current state of development of e-learning content in the Latin language. It is noted that the introduction of ICT in the educational space has expanded the possibility of studying Latin, opened access to digital libraries resources, made it possible to use scientific and educational potential and teaching Latin best practices of world's leading universities. A review of foreign and Ukrainian information resources and electronic editions for the study of Latin is given. Much attention was paid to the didactic potential of local and online multimedia courses of Latin, electronic textbooks, workbooks of interactive tests and exercises, various dictionaries and software translators, databases and digital libraries. Based on analysis of the world market of educational services and products the main trends in the development of information resources and electronic books are examined. It was found that multimedia courses with interactive exercises or workbooks with interactive tests, online dictionaries and translators are the most widely represented and demanded. The noticeable lagging of Ukrainian education and computer linguistics in quantitative and qualitative measures in this industry is established. The obvious drawback of existing Ukrainian resources and electronic editions for the study of Latin is their noninteractive nature. The prospects of e-learning content in Latin in Ukraine are outlined.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion can be tailored by combining ecological momentary assessments (EMA) with time series analysis. This combined method allows for studying the temporal order of dynamic relationships among variables, which may provide concrete indications for intervention. However,

Full Text Available Quarry sites result from human activity, which includes the removal of original vegetation and the overlying soil to dig out stones for building use. Therefore, the dynamics of the quarry area provide a unique view of human mining activities. Actually, the topographic changes caused by mining activities are also a result of the development of the local economy. Thus, monitoring the quarry area can provide information about the policies of the economy and environmental protection. In this paper, we developed a combined method of machine learning classification and quarry region analysis to estimate the quarry area in a quarry region near Beijing. A temporal smoothing based on the classification results of all years was applied in post-processing to remove outliers and obtain gently changing sequences along the monitoring term. The method was applied to Landsat images to derive a quarry distribution map and quarry area time series from 1984 to 2017, revealing significant inter-annual variability. The time series revealed a five-stage development of the quarry area with different growth patterns. As the study region lies on two jurisdictions—Tianjin and Hebei—a comparison of the quarry area changes in the two jurisdictions was applied, which revealed that the different policies in the two regions could impose different impacts on the development of a quarry area. An analysis concerning the relationship between quarry area and gross regional product (GRP was performed to explore the potential application on socioeconomic studies, and we found a strong positive correlation between quarry area and GRP in Langfang City, Hebei Province. These results demonstrate the potential benefit of annual monitoring over the long-term for socioeconomic studies, which can be used for mining decision making.

Higher-order ionospheric (HIO) corrections are proposed to become a standard part for precise GPS data analysis. For this study, we deeply investigate the impacts of the HIO corrections on the coordinate time series by implementing re-processing of the GPS data from Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC). Nearly 13 year data are used in our three processing runs: (a) run NO, without HOI corrections, (b) run IG, both second- and third-order corrections are modeled using the International Geomagnetic Reference Field 11 (IGRF11) to model the magnetic field, (c) run ID, the same with IG but dipole magnetic model are applied. Both spectral analysis and noise analysis are adopted to investigate these effects. Results show that for CMONOC stations, HIO corrections are found to have brought an overall improvement. After the corrections are applied, the noise amplitudes decrease, with the white noise amplitudes showing a more remarkable variation. Low-latitude sites are more affected. For different coordinate components, the impacts vary. The results of an analysis of stacked periodograms show that there is a good match between the seasonal amplitudes and the HOI corrections, and the observed variations in the coordinate time series are related to HOI effects. HOI delays partially explain the seasonal amplitudes in the coordinate time series, especially for the U component. The annual amplitudes for all components are decreased for over one-half of the selected CMONOC sites. Additionally, the semi-annual amplitudes for the sites are much more strongly affected by the corrections. However, when diplole model is used, the results are not as optimistic as IGRF model. Analysis of dipole model indicate that HIO delay lead to the increase of noise amplitudes, and that HIO delays with dipole model can generate false periodic signals. When dipole model are used in modeling HIO terms, larger residual and noise are brought in rather than the effective improvements.

Richard A. Silverman's series of translations of outstanding Russian textbooks and monographs is well-known to people in the fields of mathematics, physics, and engineering. The present book is another excellent text from this series, a valuable addition to the English-language literature on Fourier series.This edition is organized into nine well-defined chapters: Trigonometric Fourier Series, Orthogonal Systems, Convergence of Trigonometric Fourier Series, Trigonometric Series with Decreasing Coefficients, Operations on Fourier Series, Summation of Trigonometric Fourier Series, Double Fourie

The suitable process parameters for a two-stage turbo air classifier are important for obtaining the ultrafine powder that has a narrow particle-size distribution, however little has been published internationally on the classification process for the two-stage turbo air classifier in series. The influence of the process parameters of a two-stage turbo air classifier in series on classification performance is empirically studied by using aluminum oxide powders as the experimental material. The experimental results show the following: 1) When the rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier is increased from 2 300 r/min to 2 500 r/min with a constant rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier, classification precision is increased from 0.64 to 0.67. However, in this case, the final ultrafine powder yield is decreased from 79% to 74%, which means the classification precision and the final ultrafine powder yield can be regulated through adjusting the rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier. 2) When the rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier is increased from 2 500 r/min to 3 100 r/min with a constant rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier, the cut size is decreased from 13.16 μm to 8.76 μm, which means the cut size of the ultrafine powder can be regulated through adjusting the rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier. 3) When the feeding speed is increased from 35 kg/h to 50 kg/h, the "fish-hook" effect is strengthened, which makes the ultrafine powder yield decrease. 4) To weaken the "fish-hook" effect, the equalization of the two-stage wind speeds or the combination of a high first-stage wind speed with a low second-stage wind speed should be selected. This empirical study provides a criterion of process parameter configurations for a two-stage or multi-stage classifier in series, which offers a theoretical basis for practical production.

Interfacial segregation, often confined to within a few atomic distances of the interface, can strongly influence the processing and properties of metals and ceramics. The thinness of such solute-enriched regions can cause them to be particularly suitable for study using surface sensitive microanalytical techniques such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The application of AES to studies of interfacial segregation in metals and ceramics is briefly reviewed, and several examples are presented. 43 references, 14 figures

Two bisphenol-A type epoxy resins were irradiated by electron beam and studied afterwards by positron lifetime spectroscopy. An interesting result is that despite of the considerable amount of free-radicals, no inhibition of positronium formation was observed in the two epoxies. Nevertheless, several serious differences were detected between the studied polymers. The results suggest that the radiation-resistant properties of epoxies depend strongly on the amount of the curing agent. (author) 8 refs.; 2 figs

A disordered Hubbard model with diagonal disorder is used to investigate the electron localization effects associated with both disorder and electron-electron interaction. Extensive results are reported on the ground state properties and compared to other theories. Two regimes have been found: when the electron-electron interaction u is greater than the disorder parameter w and when u < w. (author). 18 refs, 4 figs

The cumulative effect of repeated traumatic experiences in early childhood incrementally increases the risk of adjustment problems later in life. Surviving traumatic environments can lead to the development of an interrelated constellation of emotional and interpersonal symptoms termed complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Effective treatment of trauma begins with a multimethod psychological assessment and requires the use of several evidence-based therapeutic processes, including establishing a safe therapeutic environment, reprocessing the trauma, constructing a new narrative, and managing emotional dysregulation. Therapeutic Assessment (TA) is a semistructured, brief intervention that uses psychological testing to promote positive change. The case study of Kelly, a middle-aged woman with a history of repeated interpersonal trauma, illustrates delivery of the TA model for CPTSD. Results of this single-case time-series experiment indicate statistically significant symptom improvement as a result of participating in TA. We discuss the implications of these findings for assessing and treating trauma-related concerns, such as CPTSD.

Natural analogs provide a line of evidence that supports the understanding of how natural and engineered processes would occur over long time frames and large spatial scales at a potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Studies of U-series disequilibria within and around uranium deposits can provide valuable information on the timing of actinide mobility and hence the stability of a potential repository over geologic time scales. The Nopal I uranium deposit at Pena Blanca, Mexico, is situated in unsaturated tuff that is similar in composition to the Topopah Spring Tuff of Yucca Mountain and closely matches other evaluation criteria for suitable natural analogs. By modeling the observed radioactive isotope disequilibria at Nopal I, we can estimate the rates of sorption-desorption and dissolution-precipitation of the radionuclides over time. Such information is vital to the testing or validation of performance assessment models for geologic nuclear waste disposal.

Natural analogs provide a line of evidence that supports the understanding of how natural and engineered processes would occur over long time frames and large spatial scales at a potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Studies of U-series disequilibria within and around uranium deposits can provide valuable information on the timing of actinide mobility and hence the stability of a potential repository over geologic time scales. The Nopal I uranium deposit at Pena Blanca, Mexico, is situated in unsaturated tuff that is similar in composition to the Topopah Spring Tuff of Yucca Mountain and closely matches other evaluation criteria for suitable natural analogs. By modeling the observed radioactive isotope disequilibria at Nopal I, we can estimate the rates of sorption-desorption and dissolution-precipitation of the radionuclides over time. Such information is vital to the testing or validation of performance assessment models for geologic nuclear waste disposal

Full Text Available A series of Ni(II–hydrazide complexes were prepared using derivatives of hydrazide ligands. The variation of organic ligand elaborates the mode of coordination of the organic compound referring to the addition of coordinating sites besides the NH–NH–CO group. The octahedral configuration is the major form proposed with most isolated complexes. Mass spectra were used to assure the molecular formula proposed based on the elemental analysis data for most investigated compounds. Thermal analysis as well as kinetic data supports the formula of all investigated complexes especially the presence of coordinating water molecules with most of them. Electrochemical measurements assert the stability of Ni(II oxidation state during the complexation which may be affected during the coordination reaction. pH metric studies as well as the molecular modeling optimization reflect a shadow on the stability of the isolated complexes in solution or in solid state, respectively.

Random process models phased in the time domain are used to analyze astrophysical time series data produced by random processes. A moving average (MA) model represents the data as a sequence of pulses occurring randomly in time, with random amplitudes. An autoregressive (AR) model represents the correlations in the process in terms of a linear function of past values. The best AR model is determined from sampled data and transformed to an MA for interpretation. The randomness of the pulse amplitudes is maximized by a FORTRAN algorithm which is relatively stable numerically. Results of test cases are given to study the effects of adding noise and of different distributions for the pulse amplitudes. A preliminary analysis of the optical light curve of the quasar 3C 273 is given.

The aim of this paper is to consider the contribution which the uranium/thorium series disequilibrium concept can make to understanding the retardation and transport of radionuclides in the far-field of a radioactive waste repository. In principle, naturally occurring isotopes of uranium, thorium and radium can be regarded as geochemical analogues of the divalent radionuclides and multivalent actinides expected to be present in the radioactive waste inventory. The study of their retardation and/or transport in real rock/water systems which have taken place over geological timescales, can make an important contribution to establishing a rational basis for long-term predictive modelling of radionuclide transport required for safety assessments. (author)

The Warm Dense Matter (WDM) regime is characterised by a density close to the solid density and an electron temperature close to the Fermi temperature. In this work, the nonequilibrium Warm Dense Matter is studied during the solid to liquid phase transition induced by an ultra short laser interacting with a solid. A 30 femtosecond time resolution pump-probe experiment (FDI) is set up, yielding to the measurement of the heated sample complex reflectivity for both S and P polarisation. We have determined a criterion based on the measured reflectivities, which permits to control the interface shape of the probed matter. For pump laser fluences around 1 J/cm 2 , the hydrodynamics of the heated matter is studied and experimental results are compared to the two-temperatures code ESTHER. Furthermore, the evolution of the dielectric function at 800 nm and 400 nm is inferred from our measurements on a sub-picosecond time-scale. Within the Drude-Lorentz model for the conduction electrons, the dielectric function yields information such as ionisation state, electronic temperature and electron collision frequency. (author) [fr

Backside illuminated thinned CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging system is a technology developed to increase the signal to noise ratio and the sensibility of such sensors. This configuration is adapted to the electrons detection from the energy range of [1 - 12 keV]. The impinging electron creates by multiplication several hundreds of secondary electrons close to the surface. A P ++ highly-doped passivation layer of the rear face is required to reduce the secondary electron surface recombination rate. Thanks to the potential barrier induced by the P ++ layer, the passivation layer increases the collected charges number and so the sensor collection gain. The goal of this study is to develop some experimental methods in order to determine the effect of six different passivation processes on the collection gain. Beforehand, the energy profile deposited by an incident electron is studied with the combination of Monte-Carlo simulations and some analytical calculations. The final collection gain model shows that the mirror effect from the passivation layer is a key factor at high energies whereas the passivation layer has to be as thin as possible at low energies. A first experimental setup which consists in irradiating P ++ /N large diodes allows to study the passivation process impacts on the surface recombinations. Thanks to a second setup based on a single event upset directly on thinned CMOS sensor, passivation techniques are discriminated in term of mirror effect and the implied spreading charges. The doping atoms activation laser annealing is turn out to be a multiplication gain inhomogeneity source impacting directly the matrix uniformity. (author)

This research thesis reports the use of electron spectroscopy with electrons excited under electronic or photonic (X or UV) bombardment for the study of electronic state density of aluminium, aluminium oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and aluminium nitride (AlN). The objective is to get an insight into phenomena related to technological problems of adherence, wear, lubrication, corrosion or breakdown met in metals, insulators and semiconductors. The author highlighted the presence of occupied surface states on Al(111) and Al(100), and electronic levels localised in the forbidden band of Al 2 O 3 and AlN, induced by structural defects which promote surface reactivity [fr

This study reports the prevalence of immune deposits associated with the proximal and distal tubules in a series of routine renal biopsies received in our department during a single calendar year. From 87 cases, 65 (74%) were found to have glomerular immune deposits by immunofluorescence. Tubular immune deposits were found in 12 cases (18%), 3 of which had no glomerular deposits. By transmission electron microscopy (EM), 58 cases (66%) were found to have deposits of granular or vesicular material associated with the tubular basement membranes (TBM). Finely granular electron dense deposits appeared to correspond to the immune deposits seen by immunofluorescence microscopy (IF) and may be a sensitive marker of immune deposition.

This collection of essays contains responses to a request to examine the emergence and formation of "cultural studies" within the university and the implications of cultural studies for an economics of "disciplinarity." The majority of the contributors are from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Following an introduction…

Indus-2 is a 3rd generation synchrotron radiation source at the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) in India. We study the longitudinal profile of electrons in Indus-2 by using dual sweep synchroscan streak camera at visible diagnostic beamline. In this paper, the longitudinal profiles of electron bunch are analyzed by filling beam current in a single bunch mode. These studies are carried at injection energy (550 MeV) and at ramped beam energy (2.5 GeV). The effects of the wakefield generated interactions between the circulating electrons and the surrounding vacuum chamber are analyzed in terms of measured effects on longitudinal beam distribution. The impedance of the storage ring is obtained by fitting the solutions of Haissinski equation to the measured bunch lengthening with different impedance models. The impedance of storage ring obtained by a series R+L impedance model indicates a resistance (R) of 1350±125 Ω, an inductance (L) of 180±25 nH and broadband impedance of 2.69 Ω. These results are also compared with the values obtained from measured synchronous phase advancing and scaling laws. These studies are very useful in better understanding and control of the electromagnetic interactions.

Full Text Available With electronic retailing that offers the possibility of direct sales, is no longer need expensive business premises, or paying high rents, or employing a number of vendors. There is also the possibility of selling to final consumers in any geographical region in different countries of the world by establishing instant communication, through presenting an interactive multimedia catalog that can offer numerous information то the customers. However, on the other hand, sales through the Internet can appear certain problems. Many potential buyers in the world still do not use the Internet, others don't have fast connections, others do not speak good English, also it requires the existence of trust between both parties, buyer and seller, as well as security in the execution of transactions. The aim of this paper is to treat electronic retailing in Macedonia which is becoming more popular as worldwide, especially in developed parts of the world like the US and Europe. Macedonian companies are increasingly applying electronic method of sale and communication with customers. The number of Internet users and on-line purchase is rapidly expanding what undoubtedly indicates that there is potential for advancement in this field. Also in this paper will be presented a case study where will be analyzed the current state for development of electronic retailing in Macedonia, especially region of Ohrid.

Full Text Available The importance of patient records, also known as medical records, is related to different needs and objectives, as they constitute permanent documents on the health of patients. With the advancement of information technologies and systems, patient records can be stored in databases, resulting in a positive impact on patient care. Based on these considerations, a research question that arises is “what are the benefits and problems that can be seen with the use of electronic versions of medical records?” This question leads to the formulation of the following hypothesis: although problems can be identified during the process of using electronic record systems, the benefits outweigh the difficulties, thereby justifying their use. To respond to the question and test the presented hypothesis, a research study was developed with users of the same electronic record system, consisting of doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel in three hospitals located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The results show that, despite some problems in their usage, the benefits of electronic patient records outweigh possible disadvantages.

Isochoric heating of inertially confined fusion plasmas by laser driven MeV electrons or protons is an area of great topical interest in the inertial confinement fusion community, particularly with respect to the fast ignition (FI) proposal to use this technique to initiate burn in a fusion capsule. Experiments designed to investigate electron isochoric heating have measured heating in two limiting cases of interest to fast ignition, small planar foils and hollow cones. Data from Cu Kα fluorescence, crystal x-ray spectroscopy of Cu K shell emission, and XUV imaging at 68eV and 256 eV are used to test PIC and Hybrid PIC modeling of the interaction. Isochoric heating by focused proton beams generated at the concave inside surface of a hemi-shell and from a sub hemi-shell inside a cone have been studied with the same diagnostic methods plus imaging of proton induced Kα. Conversion efficiency to protons has also been measured and modeled. Conclusions from the proton and electron heating experiments will be presented. Recent advances in modeling electron transport and innovative target designs for reducing igniter energy and increasing gain curves will also be discussed

This report describes a study of the mass of the electron neutrino using electron capture in 163 Ho in Japan for the period from 1981 to 1994. This monograph has two purposes, one is to supplement the papers on the mass of the electron neutrino already published by us and another is to make a record on some details of our experiments for future. Electron capture in a nucleus takes place in a rather small space inside an atom, where atomic physics, nuclear physics and particle physics work closely together. Therefore, this study needed an intimate collaboration of atomic physicists, nuclear physicists and particle physicists. In addition, it was necessary for this study to use various fine techniques, including metallurgy, production of 163 Ho activity, micro-analysis by wet chemistry, isotope-dilution mass spectrometry, undulator radiation source technology, the soft X-ray monochromator technology, a counting technique for very intense soft X-rays and so on. As a result, our collaboration consisted of many researchers from various fields as follows; M. Ando, H. Arai, M. Fujioka, N. Hashimoto, H. Ikeda, Y. Inagaki, K. Ishii, K. Itoh, G. Izawa, O. Kawakami, S. Kishimoto, H. Kitamura, H. Maezawa, M. Maruyama, A. Masuda, K. Masumoto, A. Mikuni, T. Mizogawa, T. Mukoyama, F. Ochiai, T. Ohta, T. Omori, G. Rajasekaran, K. Sera, K. Shima, T. Shinozuka, P.M. Stefan, I. Sugai, H. Taketani, M. Yagi, and S. Yasumi. Without such an excellent collaboration, this study would not have been completed. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Professor T. Sasaki for supporting this study and recommending the undulator beam line of 2.5 GeV Photon Factory Storage Ring as a light source to be used in the experiment. We also would like to thank Dr. A. Yagishita and Dr. Y. Kitajima who are responsible for the BL-2 beamline. Finally we are grateful to Ms. M. Noji for her patient typewriting of manuscripts written by hand. (author)

Concerns over global warming and air pollution have stimulated the concept of the ''Hydrogen Economy'' and the potential extensive use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. Hydrogen storage in a solid matrix has become one of the promising solutions for vehicular applications. In this study, several transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques such as high resolution (HR), electron diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFT EM) as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to study the microstructure of materials related to hydrogen storage applications. Some of the results are compared with powder X-ray diffraction (PXD) data. A TbNiAl compound processed by the hydrogenation-disproportionation-desorption-recombination (HDDR) route has been studied using a combination of SEM, TEM and PXD. Information about the variations in the composition and surface topography in both disproportionation and recombination stages is given by the SEM backscattered electrons and secondary electrons images. The crystallites that have undergone the recombination process were found smaller in size. The sodium alanate, NaAIH4 is one of the most promising candidate materials for hydrogen storage. Ti additives are effective at reducing the reaction temperatures and improving the efficiency of the kinetics. The microstructure of NaAlH4 with TiF3 additive has been examined after the initial ball milling and after 15 cycles, using TEM, SEM and EDS. The effect of the additive on particle morphology, grain size and distribution of the phases has been studied. The additive has uneven distribution in the sample after initial ball milling. After 15 cycles, EDS maps show some combination of Ti with the alanate phase. No significant change in grain size of the Na/Al rich particles between the ball milled and 15 cycled sample was observed. The LiAlD4

Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design/methodology/approach – Improve...... modular product architecture can be utilised to improve operational supply chain performance.......Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design....../methodology/approach – Improvement potential is first evaluated qualitatively through interviews with dealers of the case company. Next, the benefit of postponement is evaluated quantitatively using discrete-event simulation with data from operational ERP systems. The conclusions identify conditions under which postponement...

The time kinetics of the vibrational relaxation of excimers is studied in the diffusional approximation. Simple formulae for functions of nonstationary vibrational distribution are found for the electronically excited molecules. Some spectral-kinetic dependencies of the excimer luminescence are explained in a new way. The possibilities of the determination of excimer parameters are discussed. The dependence of energetical characteristics of excimer lasers on these parameters is particularly emphasized. (author). 22 refs, 5 figs

This thesis presents some recent development in time-dependent coupled channel methods for one- and two-electron systems. The methods have been applied to detailed studies on several different aspects of charge transfer processes in ion-atom collisions at intermediate to low energies. Measurable quantities, such as partial and total cross sections, partial cross sections in projectile energy gain, orientation and alignment fractions, have been calculated. Confrontation with experiments has in general given good agreement. 29 refs

The thesis presents some recent development in time-dependent coupled channel methods for one- and two-electron systems. The methods have been applied to detailed studies on several different aspects of charge transfer processes in ion-atom collisions at intermediate to low energies. Measurable quantities, such as partial and total cross sections, partial cross sections in projectile energy gain, orientation and alignment fractions, have been calculated. Confrontation with experiments has in general given good agreement. 14 refs., 2 figs

"Meditation and the Classroom" inventively articulates how educators can use meditation to educate the whole student. Notably, a number of universities have initiated contemplative studies options and others have opened contemplative spaces. This represents an attempt to address the inner life. It is also a sign of a new era, one in…

The purpose of this work is to present information about the applications of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED) for structural investigations of glasses. TEM investigations have been carried out on some binary and on a large number of ternary borate-telluride systems where glass-forming oxides, oxides of transitional elements and modified oxides of elements from I, II and III groups in the periodic table, are used as third component. The large experimental data given by TEM method allows the fine classification of the micro-heterogeneities. A special case of micro-heterogeneous structure with technological origin occurs near the boundary between the 2 immiscible liquids obtained at macro-phase separation. TEM was also used for the direct observation of the glass structure and we have studied the nano-scale structure of borate glasses obtained at slow and fast cooling of the melts. The ED possesses advantages for analysis of amorphous thin films or micro-pastilles and it is a very useful technique for study in materials containing simultaneously light and heavy elements. A comparison between the possibilities of the 3 diffraction techniques (X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and ED) is presented

Microwave-assisted synthesis is cleaner, more economical and much faster than conventional methods. The development of new routes for the synthesis of solid materials is an integral part of material science and technology. The electronic conductivity studies on xPbCl{sub 2} – 60 PbO – (40-x) V{sub 2}O{sub 5} (1 ≥ x ≤ 10) glass system has been carried out over a wide range of composition and temperature (300 K to 423 K). X-ray diffraction study confirms the amorphous nature of the samples. The Scanning electron microscopic studies reveal the formation of cluster like morphology in PbCl{sub 2} containing glasses. The d.c conductivity exhibits Arrhenius behaviour and increases with V{sub 2}O{sub 5} concentration. Analysis of the results is interpreted in view Austin-Mott’s small polaron model of electron transport. Activation energies calculated using regression analysis exhibit composition dependent trend and the variation is explained in view of the structure of lead-vanadate glass.

A digital technique has been developed which allows the study of narrow structure in total electron-atom and electron-molecule scattering cross sections without requiring a highly monoenergetic electron beam, modulation of the electron gun, or phase sensitive detection. The electron current transmitted through a gas cell is digitized as the electron energy is stepped by ΔE through the energy range of interest. A transmitted electron difference signal is then obtained using a computer. As examples of this technique, the difference spectra are presented for He near 19.35 eV and for N 2 for the energy range from 10.3 to 15.0 eV. In the present case an instrumental resolution of 30 meV FWHM has been obtained

Full Text Available Many first-year biology students begin college with high aspirations but limited skills in terms of those needed for their success. Teachers are increasingly focused on students’ lack of metacognitive awareness combined with students’ inability to self-regulate learning behaviors. To address this need, we have designed a series of out-of-class assignments to provide explicit instruction on memory and learning. Our metacognition modules consist of six video assignments with reflective journaling prompts, allowing students to explore the relationship between the learning cycle, neuroplasticity, memory function, expert and novice thinking, and effective study strategies. By setting lessons on improving study behavior within a biological context, we help students grasp the reason for changing their behavior based on an understanding of biological functions and their application to learning. Students who complete these scaffolded journaling assignments show a shift toward a growth mindset and a consistent ability to evaluate the efficacy of their own study behaviors. In this article, we discuss the modules and student assignments, as well as provide in depth support for faculty who wish to adopt the modules for their own courses.

The induced mutation in light sensitivity of the Indica rice leads to induction of the homologous series of early mutants along with the variation of ecological character and the ecoclimate. The induction of mutants was closely related to the ecotype of Indica rice, the homologous series of early mutants in different level were derived from the different ecotype of the Indica rice, otherwise, the similar homologous series of early mutants were derived from the same ecotypic variety. The induction of the early ecotypic variety derived from the homologous series of early mutants provides the basis and possibility for accelerating the development of the new cultivars. (authors)

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) was used to study defects in n-type 3C-SiC films irradiated by 3-MeV electrons at room temperature with a dose of 2x10{sup 18} cm{sup -2}. After electron irradiation, two new EPR spectra with an effective spin S = 1, labeled L5 and L6, were observed. The L5 center has C{sub 3v} symmetry with g = 2.004 and a fine-structure parameter D = 436.5x10{sup -4} cm{sup -1}. The L5 spectrum was only detected under light illumination and it could not be detected after annealing at {approx}550{sup 0}C. The principal z-axis of the D tensor is parallel to the <111>-directions, indicating the location of spins along the Si-C bonds. Judging from the symmetry and the fact that the signal was detected under illumination in n-type material, the L5 center may be related to the divacancy in the neutral charge state. The L6 center has a C{sub 2v}-symmetry with an isotropic g-value of g = 2.003 and the fine structure parameters D = 547.7x10{sup -4} cm{sup -1} and E = 56.2x10{sup -4} cm{sup -1}. The L6 center disappeared after annealing at a rather low temperature ({approx}200 deg. C), which is substantially lower than the known annealing temperatures for vacancy-related defects in 3C-SiC. This highly mobile defect may be related to carbon interstitials.

Zhao, Hua-Jun [Laboratory of Applied Research on the Characteristic Resources in the North of Guizhou Province, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Zunyi Normal College, Guizhou (China); State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou (China); Zhou, Liu-Jiang [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou (China)

The electronic and structural properties of point defects in semiconductors, e.g. radiation defects, impurities or passivating defects can excellently be studied by the hyperfine technique of Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC). The serious limitation of this method, the small number of chemically different radioactive PAC probe atoms can be widely overcome by means of ISOLDE. Providing shortliving isotopes, which represent common dopants as well as suitable PAC probe atoms, the ISOLDE facility enables a much broader application of PAC to problems in semiconductor physics.\\\\ Using the probe atom $^{111m}$ Cd , the whole class of III-V compounds becomes accessible for PAC investigations. First successful experiments in GaAs, InP and GaP have been performed, concerning impurity complex formation and plasma induced defects. In Si and Ge, the electronic properties~-~especially their influence on acceptor-donor interaction~-~could be exemplarily st...

Full Text Available Dust storm is one of the climatic hazards in the arid and semi-arid regions. Southern Iran with its hot and dry climate is more likely affected by the adverse consequences of dust storms due to the proximity to the dusty deserts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, on one hand, and the synoptic situation for the occurrence of the dust storms in the Persian Gulf, on the other hand. In this study, the frequency of dusty days in Hormozgan Province was investigated and predicted. To this end, data were collected from the three synoptic stations in Bandar Abbas, Bandar Lengeh and Bandar-e Jask from the Iran Meteorological Organization during the statistical period of 1968-2008. Then, using the non-seasonal ARIMA (p, d, q, were analyzed in 16Minitab and the frequency of the dusty days in the region were predicted. Results of the study show that the ARIMA (1, 1, 1noc was the most appropriate pattern for predicting the frequency of dusty days in Hormozgan Province. The results showed that the predictions for Bandar-e Jask, compared to those of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Lengeh are more accurate in terms of continuous increasing trend and the interval stability of the time series prediction and the smaller difference between the observed values with the predicted values.

Regional groundwater systems incorporating argillaceous formations beneath the Harwell site have been studied as part of a national research programme of investigation into the feasibility of disposal of low and intermediate radioactive wastes into argillaceous rocks. The principal aim of the programme is to establish the groundwater flow patterns using hydrogeological and geochemical methods in association with isotope contents and uranium series disequilibrium and thus provide an independent approach to the study of effective permeabilities of clay lithologies in a sedimentary sequence. Thirty four groundwater samples derived from the high permeability formations in the Harwell region have been analysed for uranium and thorium content and 234 U/ 238 U, 230 Th/ 234 U and 230 Th/ 232 Th activity ratios. The uranium isotopic signatures have been interpreted in terms of the regional groundwater circulation and mixing patterns. The most significant zones of groundwater mixing determined from uranium isotopic data are situated just beneath the edge of the confined strata. These zones coincide with the locations of hydraulic lows in the Great Oolite and the Corallian formations towards which the regional groundwaters move. It is concluded that the uranium isotopic signatures can be used to identify water masses and to evaluate mixing of groundwaters in a sedimentary sequence on a regional scale. (author)

Full Text Available Abstract Background Home Based Management of fever (HBM was introduced as a national policy in Uganda to increase access to prompt presumptive treatment of malaria. Pre-packed Chloroquine/Fansidar combination is distributed free of charge to febrile children Methods A case-seriesstudy was performed during 20 weeks in a West-Ugandan sub-county with an under-five population of 3,600. Community drug distributors (DDs were visited fortnightly and recording forms collected. Referred children were located and primary caretaker interviewed in the household. Referral health facility records were studied for those stating having completed referral. Results Overall referral rate was 8% (117/1454. Fever was the main reason for mothers to seek DD care and for DDs to refer. Twenty-six of the 28 (93% "urgent referrals" accessed referral care but 8 (31% delayed >24 hours. Waiting for antimalarial drugs to finish caused most delays. Of 32 possible pneumonias only 16 (50% were urgently referred; most delayed ≥ 2 days before accessing referral care. Conclusion The HBM has high referral compliance and extends primary health care to the communities by maintaining linkages with formal health services. Referral non-completion was not a major issue but failure to recognise pneumonia symptoms and delays in referral care access for respiratory illnesses may pose hazards for children with acute respiratory infections. Extending HBM to also include pneumonia may increase prompt and effective care of the sick child in sub-Saharan Africa.

This project used high pressure to alter the electron-electron and electron-lattice interactions in rare earth and actinide compounds. Knowledge of these properties is the starting points for a first-principles understanding of electronic and electronically related macroscopic properties. The research focused on a systematic study of x-ray absorption measurements on rare earth and actinide compounds.

In this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2-x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.

Hemangiomas of the head or face are a frequent vascular pathology, consisting in an embryonic dysplasia that involves the cranial-facial vascular network. Hemangiomas show clinical, morphological, developmental, and structural changes during their course. Morphological, structural, ultrastructural, and clinical characteristics of head-facial hemangiomas were studied in 28 patients admitted in our hospital. Nineteen of these patients underwent surgery for the removal of the hemangiomas, whereas 9 patients were not operated on. All the removed tissues were transferred in our laboratories for the morphological staining. Light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used for the observation of all microanatomical details. All patients were studied for a clinical diagnosis, and many were subjected to surgical therapy. The morphological results revealed numerous microanatomical characteristics of the hemangiomatous vessels. The observation by light microscopy shows the afferent and the efferent vessels for every microhemangioma. All the layers of the arterial wall are uneven. The lumen of the arteriole is entirely used by a blood clot. The observation by transmission electron microscopy shows that it was impossible to see the limits of the different layers (endothelium, medial layer, and adventitia) in the whole wall of the vessels. Moreover, both the muscular and elastic components are disarranged and replaced with connective tissue. The observation by scanning electron microscopy shows that the corrosion cast of the hemangioma offers 3 periods of filling: initially with partial filling of the arteriolar and of the whole cast, intermediate with the entire filling of the whole cast (including arteriole and venule), and a last period with a partial emptying of the arteriolar and whole cast while the venule remains totally injected with resin. Our morphological results can be useful to clinicians for a precise

The main characteristic of the Planetary Boundary Layer is the turbulent flow that can be understood as the motions of many superimposed eddies with different scales, which are very irregular and produce mixing among the atmospheric properties. Spectral analysis is a widely used statistical tool to know the size of eddies into the flow. The Turbulent Kinetic Energy is split in fractions for each scale of eddy by mean the power spectrum of the wind velocity components. Also, the fluctuation of the other variables as temperature, humidity, gases concentrations or material particles presents in the atmosphere can be divided according to the importance of different scales in a similar way than the wind. A Cross-spectrum between two time series is used in meteorology to know their correlation in frequency space. Specially, coespectrum, or real part of cross-spectrum, amplitud and coherence give us many information about the low or high correlation between two variables in a particular frecuency or scale (Stull, 1988). In this work we have investigated cross-spectra of velocity components and temperature measured along the summer 2009 at the CIBA, Research Centre for the Lower Atmosphere, located in Valladolid province (Spain), which is on a quite flat terrain (Cuxart et al., 2000; Viana et al., 2009). In these experimental dataset, among other instrumentation, two sonic anemometers (20 Hz, sampling rate) at 1.5 m and 10 m height are available. Cross-spectra between variables of the two levels, specially, wind vertical component and sonic temperature, under stable stratification are studied in order to improve the knowledge of the proprieties of the momentum and heat fluxes near the ground in the PBL. Nevertheless, power spectral of horizontal components of the wind, at both levels, have been also analysed. The spectra and cross-spectra were performed by mean the Blackman-Tukey method, widely utilised in the time seriesstudies (Blackman & Tukey, 1958) and, where it is

Despite radiography being the gold standard in evaluation of orthopedic injuries, using bedside ultrasonography has several potential supremacies such as avoiding exposure to ionizing radiation, availability in pre-hospital settings, being extensively accessible, and ability to be used on the bedside. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detection of extremity bone fractures. This study is a case seriesstudy, which was prospectively conducted on multiple blunt trauma patients, who were 18 years old or older, had stable hemodynamic, Glasgow coma scale 15, and signs or symptoms of a possible extremity bone fracture. After initial assessment, ultrasonography of suspected bones was performed by a trained emergency medicine resident and prevalence of true positive and false negative findings were calculated compared to plain radiology. 108 patients with the mean age of 44.6 ± 20.4 years were studied (67.6% male). Analysis was done on 158 sites of fracture, which were confirmed with plain radiography. 91 (57.6%) cases were suspected to have upper extremity fracture(s) and 67 (42.4%) to have lower ones. The most frequent site of injuries were forearm (36.7%) in upper limbs and leg (27.8%) in lower limbs. Prevalence of true positive and false negative cases for fractures detected by ultrasonography were 59 (64.8%) and 32 (35.52%) for upper and 49 (73.1%) and 18 (26.9%) for lower extremities, respectively. In addition, prevalence of true positive and false negative detected cases for intra-articular fractures were 24 (48%) and 26 (52%), respectively. The present study shows the moderate sensitivity (68.3%) of ultrasonography in detection of different extremity bone fractures. Ultrasonography showed the best sensitivity in detection of femur (100%) and humerus (76.2%) fractures, respectively. It had low sensitivity in detection of in intra-articular fractures.

Highlights: • Multi-electron coincidence spectroscopy is applied to the study of electron emissions from condensed H2O molecules. • Coincidence Auger spectra are obtained for different photoelectron energies. • The energy distribution of the slow electrons ejected in the Auger decay is deduced from three-fold coincidences. - Abstract: Multi-electron coincidence spectroscopy using a magnetic-bottle electron spectrometer has been applied to the study of the Auger decay following O1s photoionization of condensed H{sub 2}O molecules. Coincidence Auger spectra are obtained for three different photoelectron energy ranges. In addition, the energy distribution of the slow electrons ejected in the Auger decay of the O1s core hole is deduced from three-fold coincidences.

Emission of secondary electrons is of importance in many branches of fundamental and applied science. It is widely applied in the electron microscope for the investigation of the structure and electronic state of solid surfaces and particle detection in electron multiplier devices, and generally it is related to the energy dissipation of energetic particles moving inside a solid. The process of secondary electron emission is a complex physical phenomenon, difficult to measure experimentally and treat theoretically with satisfactory accuracy. The secondary electron spectrum measured with single electron spectroscopy does not provide detailed information of the energy loss processes responsible for the emission of secondary electrons. This information can be accessed when two correlated electron pairs are measured in coincidence and the pair consists of a backscattered electron after a given energy loss and a resulting emitted secondary electron. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for the emission of secondary electrons, a reflection (e,2e) coincidence spectrometer named Secondary ElectronElectron Energy Loss Coincidence Spectrometer (SE2ELCS) has been developed in the framework of this thesis which allows one to uncover the relation between the features in the spectra which are due to energy losses and true secondary electron emission structures. The correlated electron pairs are measured with a hemispherical mirror analyzer (HMA) and a time of flight analyzer (TOF) by employing a continuous electron beam. An effort has been made to increase the coincidence count rate by increasing the effective solid angle of the TOF analyzer and optimizing the experimental parameters to get optimum energy resolution. Double differential coincidence spectra for a number of materials namely, nearly free electron metals (Al, Si), noble metals (Ag, Au, Cu, W) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been measured using this coincidence spectrometer. The

This report covers work on a natural radioactive geochemical system and has been carried out with the aim of improving confidence in using predictive models of radionuclide migration in the geosphere. It is one of a series being produced and is concerned with the U/Th decay series characterization of the hydrothermal mineral veins and the movement of these radionuclides into post-glacial flood plain deposits

A series of metallocorroles were investigated by UV-vis and magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopies. The diamagnetic distorted square-pyramidal main-group corrole Ga(tpfc)py (2), the diamagnetic distorted octahedral transition-metal adduct Co(tpfc)(py)2 (3), and paramagnetic distorted octahedral transition-metal complex Fe(tpfc)(py)2 (4) [H3tpfc = tris(perfluorophenyl)corrole] were studied to investigate similarities and differences in the electronic structure and spectroscopy of the closed- and open-shell metallocorroles. Similar to the free-base H3tpfc (1), inspection of the MCD Faraday B-terms for all of the macrocycles presented in this report revealed that a ΔHOMO MCD spectra. In addition, the MCD spectra of the cobalt and the iron complexes were also complicated by a number of charge-transfer states in the visible region. Iron complex 4 also exhibits a low-energy absorption in the NIR region (1023 nm). DFT and TDDFT calculations were used to elaborate the electronic structures and provide band assignments in UV-vis and MCD spectra of the metallocorroles. DFT and TDDFT calculations predict that the orientation of the axial pyridine ligand(s) has a very minor influence on the calculated electronic structures and absorption spectra in the target systems.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Information on life expectancy (LE change is of great concern for policy makers, as evidenced by discussions of the "harvesting" (or "mortality displacement" issue, i.e. how large an LE loss corresponds to the mortality results of time series (TS studies. Whereas loss of LE attributable to chronic air pollution exposure can be determined from cohort studies, using life table methods, conventional TS studies have identified only deaths due to acute exposure, during the immediate past (typically the preceding one to five days, and they provide no information about the LE loss per death. Methods We show how to obtain information on population-average LE loss by extending the observation window (largest "lag" of TS to include a sufficient number of "impact coefficients" for past exposures ("lags". We test several methods for determining these coefficients. Once all of the coefficients have been determined, the LE change is calculated as time integral of the relative risk change after a permanent step change in exposure. Results The method is illustrated with results for daily data of non-accidental mortality from Hong Kong for 1985 - 2005, regressed against PM10 and SO2 with observation windows up to 5 years. The majority of the coefficients is statistically significant. The magnitude of the SO2 coefficients is comparable to those for PM10. But a window of 5 years is not sufficient and the results for LE change are only a lower bound; it is consistent with what is implied by other studies of long term impacts. Conclusions A TS analysis can determine the LE loss, but if the observation window is shorter than the relevant exposures one obtains only a lower bound.

The central axis dose of a 12 MeV clinical electron beam is investigated in terms of an axial component due to primary electrons in the central ray and a lateral component due to secondary electrons originating from multiple scattering of electrons in the off-axis rays. To this effect secondary electron fluence measurements in a polystyrene medium irradiated with a collimated beam are made with a sensitive diode detector. This leads to a construction of secondary electron depth-dose profiles for beam sizes of diameters ranging from 1.7 to 17.4 cm. The results indicate that the lateral electrons account for 25% of the dose in the therapeutic region. For these electrons, the depth of dose maximum is correlated with diffusion depth and maximum lateral excursion in the medium. Dose component due to backscatter electrons at depths is also investigated using a thin-window parallel-plate ion chamber. The role of lateral and backscatter electrons in characterising central axis per cent depth-dose is discussed. (author)

Field emitter devices are being developed for the gigatron, a high-efficiency, high frequency and high power microwave source. One approach being investigated is porous silicon, where a dense matrix of nanoscopic pores are galvanically etched into a silicon surface. In the present paper pore morphologies were used to characterize these materials. Using of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images of both N-type and P-type porous layers, it is found that pores propagate along the crystallographic direction, perpendicular to the surface of (100) silicon. Distinct morphologies were observed systematically near the surface, in the main bulk and near the bottom of N-type (100) silicon lift-off samples. It is seen that the pores are not cylindrical but exhibit more or less approximately square cross sections. X-ray diffraction spectra and electron diffraction patterns verified that bulk porous silicon is still a single crystal. In addition, a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) and an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) were successfully applied to image the 40 angstrom gold film structure which was coated upon a cooled porous silicon layer. By associating the morphology study with the measured emitting current density of the Oxidized Porous Silicon Field Emission Triode (OPSFET), techniques for the surface treatment of porous silicon will be optimized

Teamwork training and system standardisation have both been proposed to reduce error and harm in surgery. Since the approaches differ markedly, there is potential for synergy between them. Controlled interrupted time series with a 3 month intervention and observation phases before and after. Operating theatres conducting elective orthopaedic surgery in a single hospital system (UK Hospital Trust). Teamwork training based on crew resource management plus training and follow-up support in developing standardised operating procedures. Focus of subsequent standardisation efforts decided by theatre staff. Paired observers watched whole procedures together. We assessed non-technical skills using NOTECHS II, technical performance using glitch rate and compliance with WHO checklist using a simple quality tool. We measured complication and readmission rates and hospital stay using hospital administrative records. Before/after change was compared in the active and control groups using two-way ANOVA and regression models. 1121 patients were operated on before and 1100 after intervention. 44 operations were observed before and 50 afterwards. Non-technical skills (p=0.002) and WHO compliance (pteamwork and system improvement causes marked improvements in team behaviour and WHO performance, but not technical performance or outcome. These findings are consistent with the synergistic hypothesis, but larger controlled studies with a strong implementation strategy are required to test potential outcome effects. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Full Text Available Bullwhip (or whiplash effect is an observed phenomenon in forecast driven distribution channeland careful management of these effects is of great importance to managers of supply chain.Bullwhip effect refers to situations where orders to the suppliers tend to have larger variance thansales to the buyer (demand distortion and the distortion increases as we move up the supply chain.Due to the fact that demand of customer for product is unstable, business managers must forecast inorder to properly position inventory and other resources. Forecasts are statistically based and in mostcases, are not very accurate. The existence of forecast errors made it necessary for organizations tooften carry an inventory buffer called “safety stock”. Moving up the supply chain from the end userscustomers to raw materials supplier there is a lot of variation in demand that can be observed, whichcall for greater need for safety stock.This study compares the efficacy of simulation and Time Series model in quantifying the bullwhipeffects in supply chain management.

Here we study the dynamic properties of EUV spicules seen at the solar limb. The selected data were obtained as time series in polar coronal holes by SUMER/SoHO. The short exposure time and the almost fixed position of the spectrometer's slit allow the analysis of spicule properties such as occurrence, lifetime and Doppler velocity. Our data reveal that spicules occur repeatedly at the same location with a birth rate of around 0.16/min as estimated at 10´´ above the limb and a lifetime ranging from 15 down to ≈3 min. We are able to see some spicules showing a process of “falling after rising” indicated by the sudden change of the Doppler velocity sign. A periodicity of ≈5 min is sometimes discernible in their occurrence. Most spicules have a height between 10´´ and 20´´ above the limb. Some can stretch up to 40´´; these “long macro-spicules” seem to be comprised of a group of high spicules. Some of them have an obvious periodicity in the radiance of ≈5 min.

Sedimentary phosphorites occurring on the sea floor off Peru and Chile have been analyzed for U and Th isotopes, to establish their ages and hence obtain clues for their mode of formation. Fission-track distribution studies indicate that the U is primarily associated with the apatite fraction. Uranium-series disequilibrium methods, therefore, should be applicable, if the U incorporation is syngenetic with the apatite. The fractionation of U isotopes between oxidation states in the relatively young phosphorites from South America is low compared to that in older deposits. This supports the contention of Kolodny et al., (Geochim.Cosmochim.Acta;34:3 (1970)) that the major mechanism of 234 U/ 238 U fractionation is displacement of 234 U atoms into sites where they are more 'oxidizable' than the 238 U parent. Age estimates based on 234 U(IV) and 230 Th contents are internally consistent and range from late Pleistocene to Recent. The results indicate that marine phosphorites are currently forming in this area of intense oceanic upwelling. The age pattern during the last 150,000 yr suggests a correlation with eustatic high sea level stands and implies that conditions were more favourable for apatite genesis in this area during interglacials rather than during glacial times. (author)

MUNU is an experiment dedicated to electron-neutrino scattering studies and in particular to neutrino magnetic moment search at a nuclear power plant in Bugey (France). MUNU is based on a gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) immersed in 8 tons of liquid scintillator acting as an active anti-Compton shielding. A preliminary analysis of the first results of this experiment corresponding to about 24 days of data collecting draws a line on the value of the neutrino magnetic moment: {mu}{sub {nu}}-bar{sub {sub e}} {<=} 1.97 10{sup -10} {mu}{sub B} (68% confidence level). All along this work, it is shown that the combined use of a TPC and of a light detection system is valuable for discriminating particles and for discarding signals from background noise.

Standard computational methods used to take account of the Pauli Exclusion Principle into Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of electron transport in semiconductors may give unphysical results in low field regime, where obtained electron distribution function takes values exceeding unity. Modified algorithms were already proposed and allow to correctly account for electron scattering on phonons or impurities. Present paper extends this approach and proposes improved simulation scheme allowing including Pauli exclusion principle for electron–electron (e–e) scattering into MC simulations. Simulations with significantly reduced computational cost recreate correct values of the electron distribution function. Proposed algorithm is applied to study transport properties of degenerate electrons in graphene with e–e interactions. This required adapting the treatment of e–e scattering in the case of linear band dispersion relation. Hence, this part of the simulation algorithm is described in details.

Standard computational methods used to take account of the Pauli Exclusion Principle into Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of electron transport in semiconductors may give unphysical results in low field regime, where obtained electron distribution function takes values exceeding unity. Modified algorithms were already proposed and allow to correctly account for electron scattering on phonons or impurities. Present paper extends this approach and proposes improved simulation scheme allowing including Pauli exclusion principle for electron–electron (e–e) scattering into MC simulations. Simulations with significantly reduced computational cost recreate correct values of the electron distribution function. Proposed algorithm is applied to study transport properties of degenerate electrons in graphene with e–e interactions. This required adapting the treatment of e–e scattering in the case of linear band dispersion relation. Hence, this part of the simulation algorithm is described in details.

The dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere is dominated by the planet's fast rotation with a period of {proportional_to} 10 h.Within the magnetosphere, this periodicity can in particular be seen in the temporal variation of the spectral index of MeV electrons: every {proportional_to} 10 h the counting rates show a maximum (minimum), while the spectral index shows a minimum (maximum) known as the Jovian ''clock'' mechanism. In this study we re-analyse Ulysses and Pioneer 10/11 data and show that another periodic modulation in the MeV electrons can be identified, manifested by local maxima of the spectral index and local minima of the counting rates. For Ulysses, this modulation can be observed throughout the magnetosphere near the magnetic equator, suggesting an azimuthal asymmetric distribution of MeV electrons near the current sheet. This modulation is found to trail the ''clock'' mechanism by {proportional_to} 3.25 h. The Pioneer 10 data, however, only show occasional evidence of the presence of these local maxima while there is no evidence of this modulation in the Pioneer 11 data. A comparison of the times of observed minor peaks and Ulysses' distance from the current sheet using a simple rigid disc model as well as the model of Khurana and Schwarzl (2005) is performed.

The dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere is dominated by the planet's fast rotation with a period of ∝ 10 h.Within the magnetosphere, this periodicity can in particular be seen in the temporal variation of the spectral index of MeV electrons: every ∝ 10 h the counting rates show a maximum (minimum), while the spectral index shows a minimum (maximum) known as the Jovian ''clock'' mechanism. In this study we re-analyse Ulysses and Pioneer 10/11 data and show that another periodic modulation in the MeV electrons can be identified, manifested by local maxima of the spectral index and local minima of the counting rates. For Ulysses, this modulation can be observed throughout the magnetosphere near the magnetic equator, suggesting an azimuthal asymmetric distribution of MeV electrons near the current sheet. This modulation is found to trail the ''clock'' mechanism by ∝ 3.25 h. The Pioneer 10 data, however, only show occasional evidence of the presence of these local maxima while there is no evidence of this modulation in the Pioneer 11 data. A comparison of the times of observed minor peaks and Ulysses' distance from the current sheet using a simple rigid disc model as well as the model of Khurana and Schwarzl (2005) is performed.

Objectives Healthcare costs and usage are rising. Evidence-based online health information may reduce healthcare usage, but the evidence is scarce. The objective of this study was to determine whether the release of a nationwide evidence-based health website was associated with a reduction in healthcare usage. Design Interrupted time series analysis of observational primary care data of healthcare use in the Netherlands from 2009 to 2014. Setting General community primary care. Population 912 000 patients who visited their general practitioners 18.1 million times during the study period. Intervention In March 2012, an evidence-based health information website was launched by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. It was easily accessible and understandable using plain language. At the end of the study period, the website had 2.9 million unique page views per month. Main outcomes measures Primary outcome was the change in consultation rate (consultations/1000 patients/month) before and after the release of the website. Additionally, a reference group was created by including consultations about topics not being viewed at the website. Subgroup analyses were performed for type of consultations, sex, age and socioeconomic status. Results After launch of the website, the trend in consultation rate decreased with 1.620 consultations/1000 patients/month (p<0.001). This corresponds to a 12% decline in consultations 2 years after launch of the website. The trend in consultation rate of the reference group showed no change. The subgroup analyses showed a specific decline for consultations by phone and were significant for all other subgroups, except for the youngest age group. Conclusions Healthcare usage decreased by 12% after providing high-quality evidence-based online health information. These findings show that e-Health can be effective to improve self-management and reduce healthcare usage in times of increasing healthcare costs. PMID:28186945

Healthcare costs and usage are rising. Evidence-based online health information may reduce healthcare usage, but the evidence is scarce. The objective of this study was to determine whether the release of a nationwide evidence-based health website was associated with a reduction in healthcare usage. Interrupted time series analysis of observational primary care data of healthcare use in the Netherlands from 2009 to 2014. General community primary care. 912 000 patients who visited their general practitioners 18.1 million times during the study period. In March 2012, an evidence-based health information website was launched by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. It was easily accessible and understandable using plain language. At the end of the study period, the website had 2.9 million unique page views per month. Primary outcome was the change in consultation rate (consultations/1000 patients/month) before and after the release of the website. Additionally, a reference group was created by including consultations about topics not being viewed at the website. Subgroup analyses were performed for type of consultations, sex, age and socioeconomic status. After launch of the website, the trend in consultation rate decreased with 1.620 consultations/1000 patients/month (pHealthcare usage decreased by 12% after providing high-quality evidence-based online health information. These findings show that e-Health can be effective to improve self-management and reduce healthcare usage in times of increasing healthcare costs. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The results of experimental investigations of a compensated electron beam on the NAP-M facility are presented. The electron beam is compensated by electrostatic plugs preventing ion leakage along the beam. Cut-off electrodes have the shape of cutted cylinders encircling the electron beam. To eliminate electron accumulation around the plugs one of the electrodes has a zero potential, which results in formation of an transverse electric field causing ionization electron drift in the transverse direction to the electric and magnetic fields. The effect of wave damping, in the compensated beam is observed, that demonstrates the possibility of gaining great current densities in long compensated beams necessary for antiproton storage. For the NAP-M at the 10 10 cm/s electron velocity, 300 cm length of ion column, and 1 kOe field intensity the threshold beam current density is 0.96 A/cm 2 [ru

In this thesis the role of the steric and electronic effects on the fundamental dynamic behaviour of pentacoordinated phosporus compounds is further elaborated. In chapter 2 a variable temperature 13 C NMR study, performed on a series of monocyclic oxyphosphoranes, is presented. The investigations were carried out to determine the influence of the conformational transmission effect on the barriers to pseudorotation in pentacoordinated phosphorus compounds. Chapter 3 also comprises a variable temperature 13 C NMR study on pentacoordinated phosphorus compounds. In this chapter, however, an additional high-resolution 1 H NMR study on the conformational equilibria around the P-O-C-C-O fragments is included. These studies were performed in order to determine whether the enhancement of the reorganization rates around phosphorus is brought about by accelerated pseudorotation or by the involvement of hexacoordinated zwitterionic phosphorus intermediates. In chapter 4, a 31 P NMR study on the solvolysis rate of several phosphinate esters is described. This study was performed in order to determine the influence of the conformational transmission effect on the solvolysis rate of phosphate esters. A number of phosphates is examined in which, during the course of the solvolysis reaction, the conformational transmission effect is bound to be present or absent respectively. Moreover, it is discussed in which way the concept of conformational transmission induced differences in solvolysis rates can be used as a probe to examine the reactions of biologically important phosphate esters. In chapters 5 and 6 ESR studies on the influence of steric and electronic factors on phosphoranyl formation in solution, and on the intramolecular electron transfer in phosphoranyl radicals are presented. (author). 121 refs.; 33 figs.; 17 figs

This report describes a study of the mass of the electron neutrino using electron capture in {sup 163}Ho in Japan for the period from 1981 to 1994. This monograph has two purposes, one is to supplement the papers on the mass of the electron neutrino already published by us and another is to make a record on some details of our experiments for future. Electron capture in a nucleus takes place in a rather small space inside an atom, where atomic physics, nuclear physics and particle physics work closely together. Therefore, this study needed an intimate collaboration of atomic physicists, nuclear physicists and particle physicists. In addition, it was necessary for this study to use various fine techniques, including metallurgy, production of {sup 163}Ho activity, micro-analysis by wet chemistry, isotope-dilution mass spectrometry, undulator radiation source technology, the soft X-ray monochromator technology, a counting technique for very intense soft X-rays and so on. As a result, our collaboration consisted of many researchers from various fields as follows; M. Ando, H. Arai, M. Fujioka, N. Hashimoto, H. Ikeda, Y. Inagaki, K. Ishii, K. Itoh, G. Izawa, O. Kawakami, S. Kishimoto, H. Kitamura, H. Maezawa, M. Maruyama, A. Masuda, K. Masumoto, A. Mikuni, T. Mizogawa, T. Mukoyama, F. Ochiai, T. Ohta, T. Omori, G. Rajasekaran, K. Sera, K. Shima, T. Shinozuka, P.M. Stefan, I. Sugai, H. Taketani, M. Yagi, and S. Yasumi. Without such an excellent collaboration, this study would not have been completed. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Professor T. Sasaki for supporting this study and recommending the undulator beam line of 2.5 GeV Photon Factory Storage Ring as a light source to be used in the experiment. We also would like to thank Dr. A. Yagishita and Dr. Y. Kitajima who are responsible for the BL-2 beamline. Finally we are grateful to Ms. M. Noji for her patient typewriting of manuscripts written by hand. (author).

Color formation on national and commercial polymers (polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene and polycarbonate) irradiated by electrons beam was investigated by colorimetry (CIELab), electron spectroscopy resonance (ESR), photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) and differential exploratory calorimetry (DSC). The heat effect on colorimetric properties was investigated after heating (110 deg C for 1 hour) of irradiated polymers at 150 kGy. The rule of oxygen in colorimetric properties of irradiated polycarbonate was investigated in the air presence and absence (p = 10 -3 mmHg). The visual aspect did not agree with colorimetric parameters only for polycarbonate. Yellow color and darkness were induced by radiation for all studied polymers varying only the intensity and behavior in function of post-irradiation time and heating. Polymethyl methacrylate and polystyrene ESR spectra showed that radicals could be responsible by yellow color centers. Wherever, in polycarbonate, color centers were not due radical species. The nature of color centers for any studied polymer was not study by FTIR-PAS because there were no changes in FTIR-PAS spectra neither in function of dose nor heating. Polycarbonate was the most radiosensible and polystyrene was the most radioresistant of all studied polymers in concern of colorimetric properties. (author)

Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design/methodology/approach – Improve......Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design...... is beneficial in retail. Findings – In the case company, shop inventory is necessary for high-volume and low-variety products. Postponing variety creation to shops has the potential to decrease inventories for these products by 40-80 per cent. The benefits of postponement depend on delivery speed requirement......, product value, product variety and shop size. Research limitations/implications – Many contributions on postponement have been conceptual. This study contains a quantitative test. The study considers both the spatial dimension (where) and the temporal dimension (when) of postponement. Practical...

Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design/methodology/approach – Improve......Purpose – Postponement is known as a way to reduce risk and inventories while still providing high product variety and acceptable response times. The paper is a case study that uses simulation for quantifying these benefits for a consumer electronics company. Design...... is beneficial in retail. Findings – In the case company, shop inventory is necessary for high-volume and low-variety products. Postponing variety creation to shops has the potential to decrease inventories for these products by 40-80 per cent. The benefits of postponement depend on delivery speed requirement......, product value, product variety and shop size. Research limitations/implications – Many contributions on postponement have been conceptual. This study contains a quantitative test. The study considers both the spatial dimension (where) and the temporal dimension (when) of postponement. Practical...

There are several electronic stethoscopes available on the market today, with a very high potential for healthcare namely telemedicine, assisted decision and education. However, there are no recent comparatives studies published about the recording quality of auscultation sounds. In this study we aim to: a) define a ranking, according to experts opinion of 6 of the most relevant electronic stethoscopes on the market today; b) verify if there are any relations between a stethoscope's performance and the type of pathology present; c) analyze if some pathologies are more easily identified than others when using electronic auscultation. Our methodology consisted in creating two study groups: the first group included 18 cardiologists and cardiology house officers, acting as the gold standard of this work. The second included 30 medical students. Using a database of heart sounds recorded in real hospital environments, we applied questionnaires to observers from each group. The first group listened to 60 cardiac auscultations recorded by the 6 stethoscopes, and each one was asked to identify the pathological sound present: aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation or normal. The second group was asked to choose, between two auscultation recordings, using as criteria the best sound quality for the identification of pathological sounds. Results include a total of 1080 evaluations, in which 72% of cases were correctly diagnosed. A detailed breakdown of these results is presented in this paper. As conclusions, results showed that the impact of the differences between stethoscopes is very small, given that we did not find statistically significant differences between all pairs of stethoscopes. Normal sounds showed to be easier to identify than pathological sounds, but we did not find differences between stethoscopes in this identification.

The Dion–Jacobson double-layered perovskite, RbNdNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}, is used as a precursor to synthesize the series ANdNb{sub 2}O{sub 7} (A=H, Li, Na, K, NH{sub 4}, Ag), and (MCl)NdNb{sub 2}O{sub 7} (M=Mn, Fe, Cu) through ion-exchange reactions ≤400 °C. Thermal stability studies indicated that most of these compounds are metastable. A combination of X-ray powder diffraction and differential thermal analysis were used to determine various low temperature decomposition pathways; these pathways were very dependent on the interlayer species. Overall the ANdNb{sub 2}O{sub 7} series was found to be less stable than the corresponding lanthanides, ALaNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}. - Graphical abstract: A new series of topochemically-prepared metastable neodymium-containing layered perovskites are studied. - Highlights: • A series of new layered neodymium containing perovskites were synthesized by ion exchange. • Products were studied by variable temperature X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. • Most of the series are metastable showing exothermic transitions on decomposition. • The Nd compounds are less stable due to the smaller size of the Nd relative to La.

The aim of the present work is to study the dependence of temporal resolution with the activity using statistical techniques applied to the series of values time series measurements of temporal resolution during daily equipment checks. (Author)

Structural changes of Ca 2 UO 5 during reduction in hydrogen were studied by transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that monoclinic Ca 2 UO 5 changes into triclinic Ca 4 U 2 O 9 . They are related, respectively, to the fluorite and the bixbyite (C-M 2 O 3 ) structures, so that the product is a superstructure of the latter. Reduction occurs along the (100)/sub t/ planes originating from the (006)/sub m/ planes of the parent structure by diminishing the coordination number of the Ca cation from 7 to 6. 5 figures

Obtaining quantitative information about the timescales associated with sediment transport, storage, and deposition in continental settings is important but challenging. The uranium-series comminution age method potentially provides a universal approach for direct dating of Quaternary detrital sediments, and can also provide estimates of the sediment transport and storage timescales. (The word"comminution" means"to reduce to powder," reflecting the start of the comminution age clock as reduction of lithic parent material below a critical grain size threshold of ~;;50 mu m.) To test the comminution age method as a means to date continental sediments, we applied the method to drill-core samples of the glacially-derived Kings River Fan alluvial deposits in central California. Sediments from the 45 m core have independently-estimated depositional ages of up to ~;;800 ka, based on paleomagnetism and correlations to nearby dated sediments. We characterized sequentially-leached core samples (both bulk sediment and grain size separates) for U, Nd, and Sr isotopes, grain size, surface texture, and mineralogy. In accordance with the comminution age model, where 234U is partially lost from small sediment grains due to alpha recoil, we found that (234U/238U) activity ratios generally decrease with age, depth, and specific surface area, with depletions of up to 9percent relative to radioactive equilibrium. The resulting calculated comminution ages are reasonable, although they do not exactly match age estimates from previous studies and also depend on assumptions about 234U loss rates. The results indicate that the method may be a significant addition to the sparse set of available tools for dating detrital continental sediments, following further refinement. Improving the accuracy of the method requires more advanced models or measurements for both the recoil loss factor fa and weathering effects. We discuss several independent methods for obtaining fa on individual samples

The use of Macrolane™ seems to have several advantages compared to the other standard methods for breast augmentation: it is faster, less invasive, and requires only local anesthesia. Nevertheless, various complications associated with the use of Macrolane™ have been described, e.g., encapsulated lumps in breast tissue, infection, and parenchymal fibrosis. We report the results of our case seriesstudy on the clinical and imaging evaluations of patients who came to our attention after breast augmentation with Macrolane™ injection and evaluate the effect of this treatment on breast cancer screening procedures. Between September 2009 and July 2010, seven patients, treated elsewhere with intramammary Macrolane™ injection for cosmetic purposes, presented to our institution complaining of breast pain. In all patients, Macrolane™ had been injected under local anesthesia in the retromammary space through a surgical cannula. On mammography, nodules appeared as gross lobulated radiopacities with polycyclic contours. On breast ultrasound, the nodules showed hypo-anaechogenic cystlike features. In all cases, image analysis by the radiologist was hindered by the presence of the implanted substance, which did not allow the complete inspection of the whole breast tissue. From our experience, although safe in other areas, injection of Macrolane™ into breast tissue cannot be recommended at this time. Our study, along with other reports, supports the need to start a clinical trial on the use of injectable fillers in the breast to validate their safety and effectiveness. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Serial biopsy specimens from two squamous cell carcinomas of the mouth were studied by electron microscopy. This report described the ultrastructural changes in the cells produced by treatment with methotrexate followed by irradiation. The main ultrastructural findings after treatment are: numerous autophagic lysosomes and residual bodies are visible in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells; mitochondria are swollen. The mitochondrial cristae are distorted and disrupted, and mitochondrial matrix disappears; the nucleolus shows a series of morphological changes such as development of a compact nucleolus, aggregation of granular elements, atrophy, dissolution and fragmentation of the nucleolar mass; infiltration of lymphocytes, granulocytes and macrophages in the tumor. The significance of these ultrastructural findings is discussed. (U.S.)

A series of sputtered tungsten-carbon multilayer structures with periods ranging from 2 to 12 nm in the as-prepared state and after annealing at 500/degree/C for 4 hours has been studied with high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The evolution with annealing of the microstructure of these multilayers depends on their period. As-prepared structures appear predominantly amorphous from TEM imaging and diffraction. Annealing results in crystallization of the W-rich layers into WC in the larger period samples, and less complete or no crystallization in the smaller period samples. X-ray scattering reveals that annealing expands the period in a systematic way. The layers remain remarkably well-defined after annealing under these conditions. 12 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Since some devices on the latest developed 250 ALICE/PHOS Front-end electronics (FEE) system cards had been partly or completely damaged during lead-free soldering. To alleviate the influence on the performance of FEE system and to locate fault related FPGA accurately, we should find a method for locating fault of FEE system based on the deep study of FPGA configuration scheme. It emphasized on the problems such as JTAG configuration of multi-devices, PS configuration based on EPC series configuration devices and auto re-configuration of FPGA. The result of the massive FEE system cards testing and repairing show that that location method can accurately and quickly target the fault point related FPGA on FEE system cards. (authors)

Goals for our first-year period are as follows: To study the evolution of a small perturbation in the current pulse (introduced via the grid voltage on the electron gun) when the beam propagates through our 5-m long periodic solenoid channel. Specifically, to see if the perturbation is reflected from the rear end of the pulse. So far these objectives have been met without any delays. We were able to launch different perturbations on the beam resulting in either a slow space-charge wave or a fast wave or both waves. The relative strength of each wave was found to depend on the electron emission temperature of the cathode. The propagation of these waves on an initially rectangular longitudinal beam profile was measured with fast current monitors and the kinetic energy was measured with sensitive energy analyzers at various positions along the 5-m long solenoidal focusing channel. We have also begun to study the behavior of the waves when they reach the respective edge of the beam. But this work is still of a preliminary nature, and we need to refine the beam conditions and measurements in future studies to reach any firm conclusions. Preparations for the resistive-wall instability experiment are in progress

Electron correlation is a result of the interaction of two or more electrons confined in a region of space, and may conveniently be treated under the formalism of configuration interaction (CI). Photoionization provides a rather direct experimental method for studying configuration interaction. The types of CI involved in the photoionization process can be divided into three categories: initial state configuration interaction (ISCI), final ionic state configuration interaction (FISCI), and continuum state configuration interaction (CSCI). This thesis deals with experimental studies which reveal how the various types of CI may become manifested in photoionization. The experimental methods utilized in this work are photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), electron impact spectroscopy (EIS), and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The EIS was carried out following the discovery that the UV lamp on a Perkin-Elmer photoelectron spectrometer could be utilized as a source of low energy electrons. The time-resolved fluorescence work utilized both the tunability and the time structure of the radiation available at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). A commercial photoelectron spectrometer equipped with a conventional UV lamp (Hei, Nei) was employed for some of the PES studies, and a novel time-of-flight photoelectron spectrometer was developed for the PES work performed using synchrotron radiation. The PES of Ba, Sm, Eu, and Yb was studied using both Hei (22.22 eV) and Nei (16.85 eV) radiation. Satellite structure observed in these spectra using Nei (and for Yb, Hei also) radiation could be satisfactorily explained by ISCI alone. The Hei spectra of Sm, Eu, and, in particular, Ba showed dramatic changes in the satellite population which could only be explained by a new mechanism, autoionization, which is a special form of CSCI. The detailed nature of this mechanism was explored in Ba using synchrotron radiation. It was found that the autoionizing level decays

In this paper, the authors discuss some operational aspects of electron-electron collisions at the Next Linear Collider (NLC) and estimate the luminosity attainable in such a machine. They also consider the use of two future technologies which could simplify the operation and improve the luminosity in an e - e - collider: polarized rf guns and plasma lenses

This text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students presents a rigorous approach that also emphasizes applications. Encompassing more than the usual amount of material on the problems of computation with series, the treatment offers many applications, including those related to the theory of special functions. Numerous problems appear throughout the book.The first chapter introduces the elementary theory of infinite series, followed by a relatively complete exposition of the basic properties of Taylor series and Fourier series. Additional subjects include series of functions and the app

The answer to the question "Can electron-rich oxygen (O 2- ) withdraw electrons from metal centers?" is seemingly simple, but how the electron population on the M atom behaves when the O-M distance changes is a matter of controversy. A case study has been conducted for Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) complexes, and the first-principles electronic structure calculations were carried out not only for real POM species but also for "hypothetical" ones whose heteroatom was replaced with a point charge. From the results of natural population analysis, it was proven that even an electron-rich O 2- , owing to its larger electronegativity as a neutral atom, withdraws electrons when electron redistribution occurs by the change of the bond length. In the case where O 2- coexists with a cation having a large positive charge (e.g., P 5+ (O 2- ) 4 = [PO 4 ] 3- ), the gross electron population (GEP) on the M atom seemingly increases as the O atom comes closer, but this increment in GEP is not due to the role of the O atom but due to a Coulombic effect of the positive charge located on the cation. Furthermore, it was suggested that not GEP but net electron population (NEP) should be responsible for the redox properties.

As answer to the necessity of the search of new nano structured materials, the present work was carried out that it studies the electron transfer in compound similar of the Prussia blue (CAAP), which are representative molecular materials, because its chromophore, magnetic, and electric properties, depend mainly on the processes that are made in their levels or orbital energy. It is known that these made up with octahedra symmetry that its are presented in form of powders, suffer processes of electron transfer when its are exposed to external stimulation by means of light (embracing the regions from the ultraviolet one until the infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum), because they are made up of mixed valency. To know that types of electronic transfers are those that are made in the study materials, 4 series of CAAP its were synthesized by the method of mixtures of aqueous solutions: M[Fe +3 CN) 6 ] 2 nH 2 O, M[Cr +3 (CN) 6 ] 2 nH 2 O, M[Mn +3 (CN) 6 ] 3 nH 2 O y M[Co +3 (CN) 6 ] 3 nH 2 O, and later on studied by means of the electron spectroscopy technique with a UV-SENSE spectrophotometer (Perkin-Elmer) in or n range of work of 250 to 1100 nm. Because to discuss the electronic structures of any compound, it is required the calculation of the energy levels, they took like reference the data tabulated by John Alexander and Harry Gray calculated by the modified theoretical approach of Wolfsberg-Helmhoz. When comparing the obtained spectra with the theoretical data, it was concludes that in the CAAP, its are carried out electronic transfers among orbital molecular metallic of the type d → d, and load transfer (TC) among orbital molecular of the ligand and metal. When being carried out a load transfer in the CAAP that initially are made up of under-spin these its are photoinduced to an excited state of high spin. In consequence it is possible to vary the interactions among the metals of transition of the CAAP and the ligands, allowing the extension of coordinated

Objective To compare initial brain computed tomography (CT) scans with follow-up CT scans at one year in children with congenital Zika syndrome, focusing on cerebral calcifications. Design Case seriesstudy. Setting Barão de Lucena Hospital, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Participants 37 children with probable or confirmed congenital Zika syndrome during the microcephaly outbreak in 2015 who underwent brain CT shortly after birth and at one year follow-up. Main outcome measure Differences in cerebral calcification patterns between initial and follow-up scans. Results 37 children were evaluated. All presented cerebral calcifications on the initial scan, predominantly at cortical-white matter junction. At follow-up the calcifications had diminished in number, size, or density, or a combination in 34 of the children (92%, 95% confidence interval 79% to 97%), were no longer visible in one child, and remained unchanged in two children. No child showed an increase in calcifications. The calcifications at the cortical-white matter junction which were no longer visible at follow-up occurred predominately in the parietal and occipital lobes. These imaging changes were not associated with any clear clinical improvements. Conclusion The detection of cerebral calcifications should not be considered a major criterion for late diagnosis of congenital Zika syndrome, nor should the absence of calcifications be used to exclude the diagnosis. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is thought that a good survival rate of patients with acute liver failure can be achieved by establishing an artificial liver support system that reliably compensates liver function until the liver regenerates or a patient undergoes transplantation. We introduced a new artificial liver support system, on-line hemodiafiltration, in patients with acute liver failure. Methods This case seriesstudy was conducted from May 2001 to October 2008 at the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary care academic medical center. Seventeen consecutive patients who admitted to our hospital presenting with acute liver failure were treated with artificial liver support including daily on-line hemodiafiltration and plasma exchange. Results After 4.9 ± 0.7 (mean ± SD on-line hemodiafiltration sessions, 16 of 17 (94.1% patients completely recovered from hepatic encephalopathy and maintained consciousness for 16.4 ± 3.4 (7-55 days until discontinuation of artificial liver support (a total of 14.4 ± 2.6 [6-47] on-line hemodiafiltration sessions. Significant correlation was observed between the degree of encephalopathy and number of sessions of on-line HDF required for recovery of consciousness. Of the 16 patients who recovered consciousness, 7 fully recovered and returned to society with no cognitive sequelae, 3 died of complications of acute liver failure except brain edema, and the remaining 6 were candidates for liver transplantation; 2 of them received living-related liver transplantation but 4 died without transplantation after discontinuation of therapy. Conclusions On-line hemodiafiltration was effective in patients with acute liver failure, and consciousness was maintained for the duration of artificial liver support, even in those in whom it was considered that hepatic function was completely abolished.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) was first reported in the United States (US) in February 2014. This was the second novel swine enteric coronavirus detected in the US since May 2013. In this study, we conducted retrospective testing of samples submitted to three veterinary diagnostic laboratories where qualifying biological samples were derived from previously submitted diagnostic case submissions from US commercial swine farms with a clinical history of enteric disease or from cases that had been previously tested for transmissible gastroenteritis virus, PEDV, or rotavirus. Overall, 2286 banked samples were tested from 27 States. Samples were collected in 3 separate years and in 17 different months. Test results revealed 4 positive samples, 3 collected in August 2013 and 1 collected in October 2013. In addition, a case series including 42 operations in 10 States was conducted through administration of a survey. Survey data collected included information on characteristics of swine operations that had experienced PDCoV clinical signs. Special emphasis was placed on obtaining descriptive estimates of biosecurity practices and disease status over time of each operation. Clinical signs of PDCoV were reported to be similar to those of PEDV. The average number of animals on each operation exhibiting clinical signs (morbidity) and the average number of case fatalities was greatest for suckling and weaned pigs. Average operation-level weaned pig morbidity was greatest in the first week of the outbreak while average operation-level suckling pig case fatality was greatest in the second week of the outbreak. The survey included questions regarding biosecurity practices for visitors and operation employees; trucks, equipment and drivers; and feed sources. These questions attempted to identify a likely pathway of introduction of PDCoV onto the operations surveyed. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A selected ion flow tube (SIFT) has been used to study the reactions of S2+ with a series of organic molecules (as well as H2, CO, NH3, NO and NO2). These include the hydrocarbons, C2H4, C2H6, CH2CCH2, CH3CHCH2 and C3H8; alcohols and thiols, CH3OH, C2H5OH, CH3SH and C2H5SH; ethers (CH3)2O and (C2H5)2O; aldehydes and ketones, CH3CHO, C2H5CHO and (CH3)2CO; and carboxylic acids and esters, HCO2H, HCO2CH3, HCO2C2H5, CH3CO2H, CH3CO2CH3, CH3CO2C2H5, C2H5CO2H, C2H5CO2CH3 and C2H5CO2C2H5. The rate coefficients are generally close to the collisional values, with exceptions among the reactions involving the smaller molecules. Most prevalent are abstraction reactions leading to formation of the thiosulfeno radical, HS2, or its protonated form; three-body associations; and channels leading to formation of the acetyl and propionyl cations, CH3CO+ and C2H5CO+, respectively. Only in reactions involving the alkenes is cleavage of the S---S bond of S2+ observed. The isomeric molecules in the data set generally react very differently, as would be expected from reactivity controlled by the position and complexity of the functional groups. The data are discussed in terms of reaction mechanisms, thermodynamics, and implications for interstellar chemistry.

Collisionless absorption of ICRF waves occurs either by ion cyclotron absorption or by electron Landau (ELD) and transit damping (TTMP). Both ion cyclotron absorption, and direct electron absorption results in electron heating. Electron heating by minority ions occurs after a high energy tail of the resonating ions has been formed i.e. typically after 0.2-1s in present JET experiments. Electron heating through ELD, and TTMP, takes place on the timescale given by electron-electron collisions which is typically of the order of ms. This difference in the timescales can be used to separate the two damping mechanisms. This can be done by measuring the time derivatives of the electron temperature after sawtooth crashes during ramp-up and ramp-down of the RF-power. (author) 4 refs., 4 figs

Electron correlation is a result of the interaction of two or more electrons confined in a region of space, and may conveniently be treated under the formalism of configuration interaction (CI). Photoionization provides a rather direct experimental method for studying CI. The types of CI involved in the photoionization process can be divided into three categories: initial-state configuration interaction (ISCI), final-ionic-state configuration interaction (FISCI), and continuum-state configuration interaction (CSCI). The photoelecton spectroscopy of Ba, Sm, Eu, and Yb was studied using both HeI (22.22 eV) and NeI (16.85 eV) radiation. Satellite structure observed in these spectra using NeI (and for Yb, HeI also) radiation could be satisfactorily explained by ISCI alone. The HeI spectra of Sm, Eu, and, in particular, Ba showed dramatic changes in the satellite population which could only be explained by autoionization, a special form of CSCI. The detailed nature of this mechanism was explored in Ba with synchrotron radiation. It was found that the autoionizing level decays preferentially via an Auger-type mechanism. Further insight into autoionization was gained in the electron impact/ejected electron spectra of Ba (5p 6 6s 2 ) and Yb (5p 6 4f 14 6s 2 ). Autoionizing levels excited above the first (5p) -1 threshold decayed primarily in a two-step Auger process, leading to a relatively large number of doubly charged ions. For autoionizing states below the (5p) -1 limit, decay appears to go to ground and excited states of the singly charged ion. The first experimental determination of the lifetime of the XeII 5s5p 6 2 S/sub 1/2/ state yielded a value of 34.4(6) ns. Reasonable agreement with theory could only be reached by including both FISCI and relativistic effects in calculating the lifetime. 173 references, 43 figures, 10 tables

The 400 MeV electron storage ring EUTERPE is under construction at Eindhoven University of Technology. The ring is to be used as an experimental tool for accelerator physics studies and synchroton radiation applications. The main task of the current research work is the electron optical design of the ring. Lattice design is a basis for machine design as a whole. Design aspects regarding the basic lattice, based on single particle dynamics, include determination of the equilibrium beam size and bunch length, design of achromatic bending sections, selection of tune values, correction of chromaticity, and minimization of the natural emittance in the ring. The basic lattice designed for the EUTERPE ring has a high flexibility so that different electron optical modes can be realized easily. In low energy storage rings with a high beam current, collective effects can cause a significant change in the bunch length, the transverse emittance and the beam lifetime. In order to ensure a good optical performance for the ring, the choice of suitable parameters concerning the vacuum and RF system are essential as far as collective effects are concerned. An estimation of the collective effects in the ring is given. The injector for EUTERPE is a 75 MeV racetrack microtron which is injected from a 10 MeV linac. In order to get sufficient beam current in the ring, a special procedure of continuous injection with an adjustable locally shifted closed orbit has been presented. Details of the injection procedure and numerical simulations are given. (orig./HSI)

Full Text Available Electrical and electronical equipment that gradually take more place in our daily life, spend their service life in short times and become an e-waste problem to be solved. Because of the hazardous components they contain, e-waste can cause environmental and human health threats if they are not properly managed. If they are managed properly, they can be a valuable raw material source, since they contain valuable metals such as copper, silver, gold, palladium and recyclable components such as plastics and metals. According to a research conducted in 2014, the global e-waste amount accounts to a source worth 52 billion $; however, only 16% of this source has been properly recycled. It is important to know the potential e-waste amount and the behaviors of people in the production of e-waste to realize a proper e-waste management in our country. The amount and property of electrical and electronic equipment and e-waste generation potential per person in Bursa was investigated in this study. A questionnaire was prepared and applied to a group of people including 31 families (100 person. The questions were to investigate the behaviors in the use, replacement, and management of electrical and electronical equipment. The findings showed that usage of lamps (fluorescent and others were higher than the other equipment, and usage of mobile phones were found to be highest in terms of devices. It was also found that when the mobiles become e-waste since the owners do not want to use them, they are not just thrown away and kept at homes instead. E-waste generation potential of a person from the families investigated was estimated to be 8.14 kg/year.

The 400 MeV electron storage ring EUTERPE is under construction at Eindhoven University of Technology. The ring is to be used as an experimental tool for accelerator physics studies and synchroton radiation applications. The main task of the current research work is the electron optical design of the ring. Lattice design is a basis for machine design as a whole. Design aspects regarding the basic lattice, based on single particle dynamics, include determination of the equilibrium beam size and bunch length, design of achromatic bending sections, selection of tune values, correction of chromaticity, and minimization of the natural emittance in the ring. The basic lattice designed for the EUTERPE ring has a high flexibility so that different electron optical modes can be realized easily. In low energy storage rings with a high beam current, collective effects can cause a significant change in the bunch length, the transverse emittance and the beam lifetime. In order to ensure a good optical performance for the ring, the choice of suitable parameters concerning the vacuum and RF system are essential as far as collective effects are concerned. An estimation of the collective effects in the ring is given. The injector for EUTERPE is a 75 MeV racetrack microtron which is injected from a 10 MeV linac. In order to get sufficient beam current in the ring, a special procedure of continuous injection with an adjustable locally shifted closed orbit has been presented. Details of the injection procedure and numerical simulations are given. (orig./HSI).

The getting of polarized electrons was briefly introduced, that is the source of polarized electrons. The measurement of polarization in future, the application of polarized electrons in atomic and molecular physics, condensed physics, biological physics, nuclear and particle physics were discussed

This work presents the theoretical concepts and experimental design of an electron gun. This gun is working in the weak energy range and the focus position is independant of electron energy measurements and analysis methods of the electron beam are described [fr

Media coverage and reports have a major influence on individual vaccination and other health-related activities. People use the media to seek information and knowledge on health-related behaviors. They obtain health-related information from media such as television and newspapers, and they trust such information. While several studies have examined the relation between media coverage and individual health, there is a lack of studies that have analyzed media reports of health information. In particular, we have found no analyses related to cervical cancer (human papillomavirus [HPV]) vaccine. This study aimed to identify mentions of cervical cancer vaccine in Japan's printed news media and to determine their characteristics. We used the archival databases of 2 Japanese newspapers, Yomiuri Shimbun (Yomidasu Rekishikan) and Asahi Shimbun (Kikuzo II Visual), for text mining. First, we created a database by extracting articles published between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2014, that matched the terms "cervical cancer" AND "vaccination" in a keyword search. Then, we tallied the extracted articles based on the month of publication and number of characters in order to conduct a time-series analysis. We extracted a total of 219 articles. Of these, 154 (70.3%) were positive and 51 (23.3%) were negative toward HPV vaccination. Of the 51 negative articles, 4 (7.8%) were published before June 2013, when routine vaccination was temporarily discontinued due to concerns regarding side effects, and 47 (92.2%) were published since then. The negative reports commonly cited side effects, although prior to June 2013, these issues were hardly mentioned. Although foreign media reports mentioned side effects before routine vaccination was temporarily discontinued, fewer articles mentioned side effects than recommendations for vaccination. Furthermore, on June 13, 2013, the World Health Organization's advisory body Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety issued a statement

Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs). This is an ecological time seriesstudy using preterm births records from the national live birth registry system of Brazil's National Health Service - Live Birth Information System (Sinasc), for residents of the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2000 and 2013. The preterm birth rates was calculated on a yearly basis and grouped into three-year periods (2000-2002, 2003-2005, 2006-2008, 2009-2011) and one two-year period (2012-2013), according to gestational age and mother's Regional Health Office of residence. The polynomial regression model was used for trend analysis. The predominance of preterm birth rate increased from 6.8 % in 2000 to 10.5 % in 2013, with an average increase of 0.20 % per year (r(2) = 0.89), and a greater share of moderate preterm births (32 to rate of prematurity and average annual growth during that period (7.55 % and 0.35 %, respectively). The trend analysis of preterm birth rates according to RHO showed a growing trend for almost all RHOs - except for the 7(th) RHO where a declining trend was observed (-0.95 a year); and in the 20(th), 21(st) and 22(nd) RHOs which remained unchanged. In the last three-year of the study period (2011-2013), no RHO showed preterm birth rates below 7.3 % or prevalence of moderate preterm birth below 9.4 %. The results show an increase in preterm births with differences among Macro-regional and RHOs, which indicate the need to improve actions during the prenatal period according to the specificities of each region.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs. Methods This is an ecological time seriesstudy using preterm births records from the national live birth registry system of Brazil’s National Health Service - Live Birth Information System (Sinasc, for residents of the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2000 and 2013. The preterm birth rates was calculated on a yearly basis and grouped into three-year periods (2000–2002, 2003–2005, 2006–2008, 2009–2011 and one two-year period (2012–2013, according to gestational age and mother’s Regional Health Office of residence. The polynomial regression model was used for trend analysis. Results The predominance of preterm birth rate increased from 6.8 % in 2000 to 10.5 % in 2013, with an average increase of 0.20 % per year (r2 = 0.89, and a greater share of moderate preterm births (32 to <37 weeks, which increased from 5.8 % to 9 %. The same pattern was observed for all Macro-regional Health Offices, with highlight to the Northern Macro-Regional Office, which showed the highest average rate of prematurity and average annual growth during that period (7.55 % and 0.35 %, respectively. The trend analysis of preterm birth rates according to RHO showed a growing trend for almost all RHOs – except for the 7th RHO where a declining trend was observed (−0.95 a year; and in the 20th, 21st and 22nd RHOs which remained unchanged. In the last three-year of the study period (2011–2013, no RHO showed preterm birth rates below 7.3 % or prevalence of moderate preterm birth below 9.4 %. Conclusions The results show an increase in preterm births

This issue of the Occasional Papers Series aims to draw attention to the use of storytelling as a medium for provoking dialogue about inclusive classrooms and school communities. It offers readers stories of classroom life that provide insights into understanding the complexities that make up the lives of children with disabilities, their…

In this sixth volume of the Ethnic Heritage Series, the pattern of ethnicity in Nova Scotia (Canada) is examined by deriving indices of diversity for counties and larger towns. The historical development of ethnic patterns from 1767 to 1971 and recent changes in the ethnic pattern are discussed. Ethnic origin data is mapped for 1871 and 1971 and…

The synthesis of a novel series of dopamine receptor agonists are described as well as their in vitro potency and efficacy on dopamine D and D receptors. This series was designed from pergolide and (4aR,10aR)-1-propyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,10,10a-octahydro-benzo[g]quinolin-6-ol (PHBQ) and resulted in the ...... in the synthesis of (2R,4aR,10aR)-2-methylsulfanylmethyl-4-propyl-3,4,4a,5,10,10a-hexahydro-2H-naphtho[2,3-b][1,4]oxazin-9-ol (compound 27), which has a D and D receptor profile similar to that of the most recently approved drug for Parkinson's disease, rotigotine.......The synthesis of a novel series of dopamine receptor agonists are described as well as their in vitro potency and efficacy on dopamine D and D receptors. This series was designed from pergolide and (4aR,10aR)-1-propyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,10,10a-octahydro-benzo[g]quinolin-6-ol (PHBQ) and resulted...

The aim of this article is to illustrate how students, through collaborative small-group problem solving, appropriate the concept of geometric series. Student appropriation of cultural tools is dependent on five sociocultural aspects: involvement in joint activity, shared focus of attention, shared meanings for utterances, transforming actions and…

This is the third in a series of eight articles on project management (PM) in the academy. In this article, the authors describe the step-by-step implementation of a structural change to Indiana State University's (ISU's) Office of Registration and Records (ORR). The process described may vary as it is implemented elsewhere, but the authors…

Spontaneous, serially transplanted, and experimentally induced leukemias of ICRC mice were studied by electron microscopy in an attempt to detect the presence of virus particles, if any, and to observe the influence of chemical and hormonal treatment on the presence of these virus particles. The first series of experiments included spontaneous, serially transplanted, and radiation-induced leukemia. The paucity of type C virus particles was quite conspicuous in spontaneous leukemia. Serially transplanted and radiation-accelerated leukemic lesions showed the presence of some type C and intracisternal type A particles. Found in two of these leukemic lesions (thymus and lymphosarcoma), in addition to type C virus particles, were budding and some mature type B virus particles, and numerous intracytoplasmic type A particles. ''Viropexis'' of type B virus particles has been observed in the lymphosarcoma and in a leukemic thymus gland. The second series of experiments included leukemia induced in ovariectomized ICRC mice with 20-methylcholanthrene (MCA), pituitary transplants, and ovarian hormones (estradiol and estradiol-progesterone). In ovariectomized ICRC mice, leukemic lesions induced by MCA or pituitary transplants, or by MCA and pituitary transplants, showed type C virus particles and, in most cases, intracisternal type A particles. In leukemia induced in ovariectomized ICRC mice by MCA and estradiol, numerous intracytoplasmic type A particles were observed but no type C virus particles

The variables collected by a sensor network constitute a heterogeneous data source that needs to be properly organized in order to be used in research and geophysical monitoring. With the time series term we refer to a set of observations of a given phenomenon acquired sequentially in time. When the time intervals are equally spaced one speaks of period or sampling frequency. Our work describes in detail a possible methodology for storage and management of time series using a specific data structure. We designed a framework, hereinafter called TSDSystem (Time Series Database System), in order to acquire time series from different data sources and standardize them within a relational database. The operation of standardization provides the ability to perform operations, such as query and visualization, of many measures synchronizing them using a common time scale. The proposed architecture follows a multiple layer paradigm (Loaders layer, Database layer and Business Logic layer). Each layer is specialized in performing particular operations for the reorganization and archiving of data from different sources such as ASCII, Excel, ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity), file accessible from the Internet (web pages, XML). In particular, the loader layer performs a security check of the working status of each running software through an heartbeat system, in order to automate the discovery of acquisition issues and other warning conditions. Although our system has to manage huge amounts of data, performance is guaranteed by using a smart partitioning table strategy, that keeps balanced the percentage of data stored in each database table. TSDSystem also contains modules for the visualization of acquired data, that provide the possibility to query different time series on a specified time range, or follow the realtime signal acquisition, according to a data access policy from the users.

The results of intercomparison studies organized by the Community Bureau of Reference on the use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy for the identification of irradiated food are presented. A qualitative intercomparison was carried out using beef and trout bones, sardine scales, pistachio nut shells, dried grapes and papaya. A quantitative intercomparison involving the use of poultry bones was also organized. There was no difficulty in identifying meat bones, dried grapes and papaya. In the case of fish bones there is a need for further kinetic studies using different fish species. The identification of pistachio nut shells is more complicated and further research is needed prior to the organization of a further intercomparison. Laboratories were able to distinguish between chicken bones irradiated in the range 1 to 3 KGy or 7 to 10 KGy although there was a partial overlap between the results from different laboratories

The results of intercomparison studies organized by the Community Bureau of Reference on the use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy for the identification of irradiated food are presented. A qualitative intercomparison was carried out using beef and trout bones, sardine scales, pistachio nut shells, dried grapes and papaya. A quantitative intercomparison involving the use of poultry bones was also organized. There was no difficulty in identifying meat bones, dried grapes and papaya. In the case of fish bones there is a need for further kinetic studies using different fish species. The identification of pistachio nut shells is more complicated and further research is needed prior to the organization of a further intercomparison. Laboratories were able to distinguish between chicken bones irradiated in the range 1 to 3 KGy or 7 to 10 KGy although there was a partial overlap between the results from different laboratories.

Simulations have demonstrated that magnetic islands having the widths expected on the major disruption cause the collisionless loss of the relativistic electrons, and that the resultant loss rate is high enough to avoid or to suppress the runaway generation. It is because, for the magnetic fluctuations in the disruption, the loss of the electron confinement due to the breakdown of the toroidal momentum conservation overwhelms the runaway electron confinement due to the phase-averaging effect of relativistic electrons. Simulation results agree closely with recent experiments on fast plasma shutdown, showing that it is possible to prevent the generation of runaway electrons. (author)

We describe the methodology used to set up and compute spatial derivatives of the electron moments using data acquired by the Plasma Electron And Current Experiment (PEACE) electron data from the four Cluster spacecraft. The results are used to investigate electron vorticity in the foreshock. What is found is that much of the measured vorticity, under nominal conditions, appears to be caused by changes in the flow direction of the return (either reflected or leakage from the magnetosheath) and strahl electron populations as they couple to changes in the magnetic field orientation. This in turn results in deflections in the total bulk velocity.

The most important objective of the Comet Nucleus Sample Returm Mission is to return samples which could reflect formation conditions and evolutionary processes in the early solar nebula. It is expected that the returned samples will consist of fine-grained silicate materials mixed with ices composed of simple molecules such as H 2 O, NH 3 , CH 4 as well as organics and/or more complex compounds. Because of the exposure to ionizing radiation from cosmic-ray, gamma-ray, and solar wind protons at low temperature, free radicals are expected to be formed and trapped in the solid ice matrices. The kind of trapped radical species together with their concentration and thermal stability can be used as a dosimeter as well as a geothermometer to determine thermal and radiation histories as well as outgassing and other possible alternation effects since the nucleus material was formed. Since free radicals that are known to contain unpaired electrons are all paramagnetic in nature, they can be readily detected and characterized in their native form by the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) method. In fact, ESR has been shown to be a non-destructive, highly sensitive tool for the detection and characterization of paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, and radiation damage centers in terrestrial and extraterrestrial geological samples. The potential use of ESR as an effective method in the study of returned comet nucleus samples, in particular, in the analysis of fine-grained solid state icy samples is discussed

The majority of the individual neutron monitors measure incorrectly in a certain energy range (10 keV-500 keV). For electronic devices, this problem is due to their high {gamma} sensitivity. To solve this problem a microelectronic detector design for neutron spectrometry is now being studied at LEPOFI. It is based on the measurement of the total energy which is deposited by {sup 6}Li (n, {alpha}) {sup 3}H or {sup 10}B (n {alpha}) {sup 7}Li reactions in silicon detectors. A new electronic sensor - for example a boron or lithium sandwich device -has been developed in collaboration with LAAS. Specific techniques for silicon sensor coating with boron have been developed and are briefly presented. The response of the detector has been computed using a model and a code developed at LEPOFI. Several parameters have been taken into account in the calculations: the type of layer, its thickness, the characteristics of the detector. The results of these simulations are discussed and calculated pulse height distributions for various designs are presented. The present status of the investigation only concerns thermal neutrons. (author).

The medium electron A (MEA) instrument aboard the CRRES spacecraft provided data on terrestrial radiation belt electrons in the energy range from 153 to 1582 keV, during 1990-91. These data have previously been used to produce an empirical model of the radiation belts from L=1.1 to 8.9, ordered according to 17 energy bands, 18 pitch angle bins, and 5 Kp ranges. Empirical models such as this are very valuable, but are prone to statistical fluctuations and gaps in coverage. In this study, in order to smooth the data and make it more easy to interpolate within data gaps, the pitch angle distribution at each energy in the model was fitted with a Bessel function. This provided a way to characterize the pitch angle in terms of only two parameters for each energy. It was not possible to model fluxes reliably within the loss cone because of poor statistics. The fitted distributions give an indication of the way in which pitch angle diffusion varies in the outer radiation belts. The two parameters of the Bessel function were found to vary systematically with L value, energy and Kp. Through the fitting of a simple function to these systematic variations, the number of parameters required to describe the model could be reduced drastically.

Minimally Invasive Surgery procedures are commonly used in many surgical practices, but surgeons need specific training models and devices due to its difficulty and complexity. In this paper, an innovative electronic device for endosurgical skills training (EDEST) is presented. A study on reliability for this device was performed. Different electronic components were used to compose this new training device. The EDEST was focused on two basic laparoscopic tasks: triangulation and coordination manoeuvres. A configuration and statistical software was developed to complement the functionality of the device. A calibration method was used to assure the proper work of the device. A total of 35 subjects (8 experts and 27 novices) were used to check the reliability of the system using the MTBF analysis. Configuration values for triangulation and coordination exercises were calculated as 0.5 s limit threshold and 800-11,000 lux range of light intensity, respectively. Zero errors in 1,050 executions (0%) for triangulation and 21 errors in 5,670 executions (0.37%) for coordination were obtained. A MTBF of 2.97 h was obtained. The results show that the reliability of the EDEST device is acceptable when used under previously defined light conditions. These results along with previous work could demonstrate that the EDEST device can help surgeons during first training stages.

Defects induced by 1 MeV electron-irradiation in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) epitaxially grown by chemical vapor deposition have been studied with positron annihilation and electron spin resonance (ESR). Doppler broadened energy spectra of annihilation γ-rays obtained by using variable-energy positron beams showed the formation of vacancy-type defects in 3C-SiC by the electron-irradiation. An ESR spectrum labeled Tl, which has an isotropic g-value of 2.0029 ± 0.001, was observed in electron-irradiated 3C-SiC. The Tl spectrum is interpreted by hyperfine interactions of paramagnetic electrons with 13 C at four carbon sites and 29 Si at twelve silicon sites, indicating that the Tl center arises from a point defect at a silicon site. Both the results can be accounted for by the introduction of isolated Si vacancies by the irradiation. (author)

The metabolic stability of benzoxazinone derivatives, a potent series of NPY Y5 antagonists, has been investigated. This study resulted in the identification of the structural moieties prone to metabolic transformations and which strongly influenced the in vitro half-life. This provides opportunities to optimize the structure of this new class of NPY Y5 antagonists.

We explore the conditions under which short, comparative interrupted time-series (CITS) designs represent valid alternatives to randomized experiments in educational evaluations. To do so, we conduct three within-study comparisons, each of which uses a unique data set to test the validity of the CITS design by comparing its causal estimates to…

The interaction of 2500 eV electrons with carbon monoxide chemisorbed on tungsten [100] was investigated by rapid-scan Auger electron spectroscopy. When no α state was present the O and C signals from the β state of CO were invariant during electron bombardment, giving an upper limit estimate for the electron stimulated desorption cross section, Qsub(β), of 2 x 10 -21 cm 2 . With the crystal at room temperature and saturated with CO, however, electron-beam induced accumulation of carbon was observed and characterised, the rate of the process being independent of CO pressure at pressures above 2 x 10 -8 Torr. At 450 K the rate was found to be pressure dependent up to at least 6 x 10 -7 Torr. A model is proposed for the accumulation process, which is based on electron beam dissociation of α 2 -CO to form adsorbed carbon and gaseous O and the creation of new sites for further α 2 -CO adsorption; it is in quantitative agreement with the results and yields a cross section for ESD of α 2 -CO (Qsub(α 2 )=1.55 X 10 -18 cm 2 ) in clo 2 e agreement with direct measurements. (Auth.)

A complete and accurate experimental test of theoretical spectroscopic data sets (state positions, lifetimes) available for the n = 3-5 terms of the 1s 2 3lnl' Rydberg series of oxygen and neon ions is presented in a series of two papers. This result was achieved by fitting our high resolution electron spectra with post-collisional lineshapes calculated with the help of these spectroscopic data. In this paper the method which has been developed for this fitting procedure is explained. In addition, as a first test, a comparison of all the available calculated spectroscopic data is presented and discussed. Strong deviations of transition energies and decay lifetimes are observed in many cases. Best data are selected in the following companion paper through a quantitative comparison with our experimental electron spectra

A complete and accurate experimental test of theoretical spectroscopic data sets (state positions, lifetimes) available for the n = 3-5 terms of the 1s{sup 2}3lnl' Rydberg series of oxygen and neon ions is presented in a series of two papers. This result was achieved by fitting our high resolution electron spectra with post-collisional lineshapes calculated with the help of these spectroscopic data. In this paper the method which has been developed for this fitting procedure is explained. In addition, as a first test, a comparison of all the available calculated spectroscopic data is presented and discussed. Strong deviations of transition energies and decay lifetimes are observed in many cases. Best data are selected in the following companion paper through a quantitative comparison with our experimental electron spectra.

Spectroscopic properties, useful for plasma diagnostics and astrophysics, of a few rubidium-like ions are studied here. We choose one of the simplest, but correlationally challenging series where d- and f-orbitals are present in the core and/or valence shells with 4d {}2{D}3/2 as the ground state. We study different correlation characteristics of this series and make precise calculations of electronic structure and rates of electromagnetic transitions. Our calculated lifetimes and transition rates are compared with other available experimental and theoretical values. Radiative rates of vacuum ultraviolet electromagnetic transitions of the long lived Tc6+ ion, useful in several areas of physics and chemistry, are estimated. To the best of our knowledge, there is no literature for most of these transitions.

Errors in total particulate organic carbon (total POC) measurements caused by particles settling in Niskin water samplers, loss of bacterial cells during filtration and undersampling of rare particles such as the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium spp. were investigated at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-seriesStudy (BATS) site. Regular core samples of temperature, primary production, bacterial abundance, chlorophyll- a (Chl- a) and POC were collected at monthly intervals from 1991 to 1996. During this period of time, shorter investigations of particles settling in water samples (1991-1992), bacterial cells lost during filtration (1992-1993), and Trichodesmium abundance (1995-1996) were performed at the BATS site. The BATS site shows striking seasonal patterns in hydrography and phytoplankton primary productivity, with a strong maximum immediately following the deep winter mixing of the water column. Following the peak in primary production, bacterial abundance showed only slightly elevated levels in spring. Maxima of Chl- a and POC also were associated with the primary production peaks, but these particle concentrations became less pronounced through summer and fall. An average of 26% of total POC collected in Niskin water bottles settled below the spigot before it could be sampled. An average of 47% of all bacterial cells passed the nominal pore size of a Whatman GF/F filter, and total POC measurements generated from GF/F filtered seawater samples had to be corrected for this loss. The average integrated stocks of total POC in the upper 65 m of the water column was 32% pigmented phytoplankton, 15% microheterotrophs, 54% other detrital matter (32 : 15 : 54). Phytoplankton C equaled bacterial C in the 65-135 m depth range (16 : 19 : 65), but phytoplankton C was virtually non-existent deeper than 135 m (2 : 14 : 74). Bacterial C biomass was higher than phytoplankton in surface waters outside the spring bloom period, but carbon not accounted for by phytoplankton

The discovery of different kinds of interactions between solids and fotonic, respectively electronic and ionic beams, leads to the development of many new, very sensitive, physical methods for the study of solids. This monograph tries to present some of these methods, useful in compositional analysis, in the study of electronic properties and of the surface processes of solid substances. This is done from the point of view both of physical phenomena underlying them and of the information obtainable with such methods. But the whole monograph is limited only to the methods based on the electronic properties of the elements existing in the solid probes studied and this paper presents only those of them in which the detected beam is an electronic one, like: ELS, DAPS, ILS, AES, AEAPS, INS, TSS, XPS and UPS. (authors)

The parametric monitoring in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) permits the operational surveillance of nuclear reactor. The methods employed in order to process this information such as FFT, autoregressive models and other, have some limitations when those regimens in which appear strongly non-linear behaviors are analyzed. In last years the chaos theory has offered new ways in order to explain complex dynamic behaviors. This paper describes a software (ECASET) that allow, by time series processing from NPP's acquisition system, to characterize the nuclear reactor dynamic as a complex dynamical system. Here we show using ECASET's results the possibility of classifying the different regimens appearing in nuclear reactors. The results of several temporal series processing from real systems are introduced. This type of analysis complements the results obtained with traditional methods and can constitute a new tool for monitoring nuclear reactors. (author). 13 refs., 3 figs

The mathematical structure of the programs written to construct a nonlinear predictive model to forecast solar flux directly from its time series without reference to any underlying solar physics is presented. This method and the programs are written so that one could apply the same technique to forecast other chaotic time series, such as geomagnetic data, attitude and orbit data, and even financial indexes and stock market data. Perhaps the most important application of this technique to flight dynamics is to model Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) output of residues between observed position of spacecraft and calculated position with no drag (drag flag = off). This would result in a new model of drag working directly from observed data.

Full Text Available This paper examines the methodology and results from Web-based surveys of more than 15,000 networked electronic services users in the United States between July 1998 and June 2003 at four academic health sciences libraries and two large main campus libraries serving a variety of disciplines. A statistically valid methodology for administering simultaneous Web-based and print-based surveys using the random moments sampling technique is discussed and implemented. Results from the Web-based surveys showed that at the four academic health sciences libraries, there were approximately four remote networked electronic services users for each in-house user. This ratio was even higher for faculty, staff, and research fellows at the academic health sciences libraries, where more than five remote users for each in-house user were recorded. At the two main libraries, there were approximately 1.3 remote users for each in-house user of electronic information. Sponsored research (grant funded research accounted for approximately 32% of the networked electronic services activity at the health sciences libraries and 16% at the main campus libraries. Sponsored researchers at the health sciences libraries appeared to use networked electronic services most intensively from on-campus, but not from in the library. The purpose of use for networked electronic resources by patrons within the library is different from the purpose of use of those resources by patrons using the resources remotely. The implications of these results on how librarians reach decisions about networked electronic resources and services are discussed.

Droplets of clouds on a mountain and of fog in an urban area were captured and the form, nature and size of their nuclei were studied by means of an electron-microscope and by a chamber of constant humidity. These nuclei have similar form and nature to the hygroscopic particles in haze and to the artificially produced combustion particles. No sea-salt nuclei were found in our observations, therefore, sea-spray appears to be an insignificant source of condensation nuclei. It was found that both the cloud and the fog nuclei originated in combustion products which were the mixture of hygroscopic and non-hygroscopic substances, and that the greater part of the nuclei did not contain pure sulfuric acid.

The authors noted an unusual finding in the fallopian tubes of a 31-year-old woman who had received external and internal whole pelvis radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Aggregates of macrophages containing pigment, identified in a subepithelial location, were reminiscent of melanosis coli, which is caused by abuse of anthracene-containing laxatives. Electron microscopic examination of the pigment revealed cytoplasmic material with the appearance of lipofuscin, identical to the pigment described in cases of colonic melanosis. After a careful study of possible etiologic agents, it was concluded that the pigment most likely resulted from cellular damage caused by radiotherapy. The authors are not aware of any other reported case of this entity, which will be called pigmentosis tubae

The coupled-channel optical method (CCOM) has been implemented in a study of electronrubidium scattering. This method includes the continuum effect in the calculation via an ab-initio optical potential. Eight atomic states (5s, 5p, 4d, 6s, 6p, 5d, 7s, 7p) were used together with the continuum optical potential in the 5s-5s, 5s-5p, and 5p-5p coupling. The elastic, inelastic and total cross sections for electron-rubidium scattering at low and intermediate energies, ranging from 10 eV to 100 eV, are reported. The results are compared with available experimental and theoretical data.

The adsorption of oxygen on a polycrystalline tungsten surface at approximately 800 K has been studied by means of electron stimulated desorption (ESD). Although precision gas dosing was not employed, the initial sticking probability for dissociative adsorption appears to be essentially unity, while the variation with coverage suggests that a high degree of order exists and that precursor state kinetics are significant. A most noticeable and reproducible discontinuity in ESD parameters occurs at a fractional coverage theta approximately 0.8 (exposure approximately 1.4 X 10 15 molecules/cm 2 incident) which is interpreted as an order-disorder transition within a single (β 1 ) chemisorption state, and results in an increase in the ionic desorption cross-section by a factor of approximately 1.26. A discussion of the adsorption kinetics and the disorder transition is given in terms of current models of dissociative adsoption which include the effects of nearest neighbour lateral interactions. (Auth.)

One electron oxidation of riboflavin (Rf) has been studied using various oxidising species such as Cl 2 -. , SO 4 -. and OH radicals. The transient species produced by the reaction of SO 4 -. with riboflavin gave spectra with λ m at 680 and 640 nm at pHs 4 and 7.1 respectively with a pK a at ∼ 6. Cl 2 -. radicals reacted with riboflavin to give a transient spectrum with λ m at 570 nm. The possibility of two sites viz. C-8 methyl group and the extended π-ring system of the molecule for oxidation reaction are discussed. The reaction of Cl 2 -. with riboflavin is an equilibrium from which the redox potential for the Rf +. /Rf couple has been evaluated to be 2.28 V vs NHE. OH radicals reacted with riboflavin to give a transient spectrum attributable to a mixture of species produced by addition or abstraction reactions. (author)

Isochoric heating by electrons has been measured in the two limiting cases of small area thin foils with dominant refluxing and cone-long-wire geometry with negligible refluxing in the wire. Imaging of Cu Kα cone fluorescence, crystal X-ray spectroscopy of Cu K shell emission, and X UV imaging at 68 eV and 256 eV are discussed. Laser power on target was typically 0.5 PW in 0.7 ps. Heating by focused proton beams generated at the concave inside surface of a hemi-shell and from a sub hemi-shell inside 30 degrees cone has been studied with the same diagnostic methods plus imaging of proton induced Kα. Conversion efficiency to protons has been measured and modeled. Conclusions from the experiments, links to theoretical understanding and relevance to fast ignition are outlined. (authors)

The energy levels of 111 Cd has formerly been considered in terms of the states available to the 63rd neutron which is in the 3s 1/2 sub-shell. Kisslinger and Sorensen have used the pairing plus-quadrupole model to predict the energy levels. In the Coulomb excitation experiment only five levels have been excited. The decay of 111 Ag has been investigated only by few workers, Burmistov and Didorenko, Shevlev et al and Goswamy et al. The previous data on level energies, gamma energies and intensities differ considerably even for intense gamma transitions. There has been no detailed study of the internal conversion spectrum. There have been no multipolarity assignments for some of the transitions. An extensive experimental investigation of the gamma and conversion electron spectra has been undertaken to provide precision spectroscopic information on the low lying levels of 111 Cd from the beta decay of 111 Ag

The interaction between keV or eV electrons and solids was studied. The results presented mostly concern problems in connection with electron irradiation of solids, but to some extent they also include ion-induced secondary electron emission. The experiments were mainly performed on solidified gases using 1 - 3 keV electrons. The projected range of electrons was determined in solid hydrogen, deuterium and nitrogen. The true secondary electron emission coefficient and the electron reflection coefficient of solid hydrogen, deuterium and nitrogen were measured. The escape depth of the true secondary electrons in nitrogen was determined. The angular dependence of both the reflection coefficient and the true secondary electron emission coefficient of solid hydrogen and deuterium was investigated. Both ion- and electron-induced secondary electron emission were treated theoretically on the basis of ionization cascade theory. (Auth.)

Background fluxes of low-energy electrons (Esub(e)=40-500 keV), observed in the interplanetary space in the absence of solar cosmic ray flares using the ''Prognoz-3'' artificial satellite during 1973-1974, are under study. Fluctuation power spectra and correlation functions of simultaneous series of fluxes of above electrons, galactic cosmic rays are calculated along with some parameters characterizing solar activity and interplanetary medium state. The mentioned analysis points to possible solar origin of background low-energy electron fluxes

The Rice University Magnetospheric Specification Model (MSM) is an operational space environment model of the inner and middle magnetosphere designed to specify charged particle fluxes up to 100keV. Validation test data taken between January 1996 and June 1998 consist of electron fluxes measured by a charge control system (CCS) on a defense satellite communications system (DSCS) spacecraft. The CCS includes both electrostatic analyzers to measure the particle environment and surface potential monitors to track differential charging between various materials and vehicle ground. While typical RMS error analysis methods provide a sense of the models overall abilities, they do not specifically address physical situations critical to operations, i.e., how well does the model specify when a high differential charging state is probable. In this validation study, differential charging states observed by DSCS are used to determine several threshold fluxes for the associated 20-50keV electrons and joint probability distributions are constructed to determine Hit, Miss, and False Alarm rates for the models. An MSM run covering the two and one-half year interval is performed using the minimum required input parameter set, consisting of only the magnetic activity index Kp, in order to statistically examine the model's seasonal and yearly performance. In addition, the relative merits of the input parameter, i.e., Kp, Dst, the equatorward boundary of diffuse aurora at midnight, cross-polar cap potential, solar wind density and velocity, and interplanetary magnetic field values, are evaluated as drivers of shorter model runs of 100 d each. In an effort to develop operational tools that can address spacecraft charging issues, we also identify temporal features in the model output that can be directly linked to input parameter variations and model boundary conditions. All model output is interpreted using the full three-dimensional, dipole tilt-dependent algorithms currently in

Indications for a beam-induced electron cloud build-up are observed since 2000 for the nominal LHC beam in the PS to SPS transfer line and during the last turns before ejection from the PS. A new electron cloud setup was designed, built, and installed in the PS. It contains shielded button-type pickups, a dipole magnet, a vacuum gauge, and a dedicated stripline electrode to experimentally verify the beneficial effect of electron cloud clearing electrodes. During the 2007 run, the electron cloud effect was also clearly observed in the PS and efficient electron cloud suppression has been obtained for negative and positive bias voltages on the clearing electrode. Here, we present electron cloud measurements with different filling patterns and bunch spacings in the PS.

Secondary electron emission (SEE) of a surface is the origin of the multipacting effect which could seriously deteriorate beam quality and even perturb the normal operation of particle accelerators. Experimental measurements on secondary electron yield (SEY) for different materials and coatings have been developed in many accelerator laboratories. In fact, the SEY is just one parameter of secondary electron emission characteristics which include spatial and energy distribution of emitted electrons. A novel experimental apparatus was set up in China Spallation Neutron Source, and an innovative method was applied to obtain the whole characteristics of SEE. Taking Cu as the sample, secondary electron yield, its dependence on beam injection angle, and the spatial and energy distribution of secondary electrons were achieved with this measurement device. The method for spatial distribution measurement was first proposed and verified experimentally. This contribution also tries to give all the experimental results a reasonable theoretical analysis and explanation.

Based on the idea of D. Gabor [1] space charge lenses are under investigation to be a powerful focussing device for intense ion beams. A stable confined electron column is used to provide strong radially symmetric electrostatic focussing, e.g. for positively charged ion beams. The advantages of Gabor lenses are a mass independent focussing strength, space charge compensation of the ion beam and reduced magnetic or electric fields compared to conventional focussing devices. Collective phenomena of the electron cloud result in aberrations and emittance growth of the ion beam. The knowledge of the behaviour of the electron cloud prevents a decrease of the beam brilliance. Numerical models developed to describe the electron confinement and dynamics within a Gabor lens help to understand the interaction of the ion beam with the electron column and show the causes of non-neutral plasma instabilities. The diagnosis of the electron cloud properties helps to evaluate the numerical models and to investigate the influen...

The dynamics of the electron flow behavior by its injection into a half-space is considered. Two problems are considered, namely the long-term injection of a monoenergetic electron flow and instantaneous flow injection with an assigned electron energy spectrum. The all flow electrons in both cases return to the injection plane. The simple analytical self-consistent model of the initial stage of the virtual cathode formation in a plane-parallel equipotential gap is plotted in the course of analysis whereof the duration of the virtual cathode formation process is determined. The performance of this model is not limited by the multivalence of the electron velocity in the flow. This makes it possible to extend the frames of the model performance relative to the moment of the virtual cathode formation and to consider its dynamics. The frequency of electron oscillations in the potential cathode-virtual cathode well is determined on the basis of the above model [ru

Recent studies have shown that direct laser metal sintering (DLMS) produces structures with complex geometry and consequently that allow better osteoconductive properties. The aim of this patient report was to evaluate the early bone response to DLMS implant surface retrieved from human jaws. Four experimental DLMS implants were inserted in the posterior mandible of four patients during conventional dental implant surgery. After 8 weeks, the micro-implants and the surrounding tissue were removed and prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histomorphometric analysis to evaluate the bone-implant interface. The SEM and EDX evaluations showed a newly formed tissue composed of calcium and phosphorus. The bone-to-implant contact presented a mean of 60.5 ± 11.6%. Within the limits of this patient report, data suggest that the DLMS surfaces presented a close contact with the human bone after a healing period of 8 weeks.

Using density functional theory plus self-consistent Hubbard U (DFT + U{sub sc}) calculations, we have investigated the structural and electronic properties of the rare-earth cobaltites RCoO{sub 3} (R = Pr – Lu). Our calculations show the evolution of crystal and electronic structure of the insulating low-spin RCoO{sub 3} with increasing rare-earth atomic number (decreasing ionic radius), including the invariance of the Co-O bond distance (d{sub Co–O}), the decrease of the Co-O-Co bond angle (Θ), and the increase of the crystal field splitting (Δ{sub CF}) and band gap energy (E{sub g}). Agreement with experiment for the latter improves considerably with the use of DFT + U{sub sc} and all trends are in good agreement with the experimental data. These trends enable a direct test of prior rationalizations of the trend in spin-gap associated with the spin crossover in this series, which is found to expose significant issues with simple band based arguments. We also examine the effect of placing the rare-earth f-electrons in the core region of the pseudopotential. The effect on lattice parameters and band structure is found to be small, but distinct for the special case of PrCoO{sub 3} where some f-states populate the middle of the gap, consistent with the recent reports of unique behavior in Pr-containing cobaltites. Overall, this study establishes a foundation for future predictive studies of thermally induced spin excitations in rare-earth cobaltites and similar systems.

Recently we have started a program to develop transition radiation based electron beam diagnostics at the Accelerator Test Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In this paper, we will discuss a technique to estimate the lower limit in electron beam divergence measurement with single foil transition radiation and two-foil transition radiation interferometer. Preliminary experimental data from 4.5 MeV electron beam will be presented

Results are reported from measurements of the spectral properties of a long neutralized electron beam in the NAP-M proton storage ring. It is shown that when the number of secondary electrons is small, both the longitudinal and the transverse oscillations are strongly damped, so that beam instability is suppressed. The current density of the neutralized electron beam produced in the experiments was approx.10 2 times greater than the theoretical value determined from the instability threshold for nonaxisymmetric oscillations

The electronic properties of dye-sensitized semiconductor surfaces consisting of pery- lene chromophores chemisorbed on zinc oxide via different spacer-anchor groups, have been studied at the density-functional-theory level. The energy distributions of the donor states and the rates of photoinduced electron transfer from dye to surface are predicted. We evaluate in particular the impact of saturated versus unsaturated aliphatic spacer groups inserted between the perylene chromophore and the semiconductor as well as the influence of surface defects on the electron-injection rates.

The multiferroic material BiMnO 3 synthesized under high pressure has been systematically studied by transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and some important structural defects are revealed in this multiferroic material. The frequently observed defects are characterized to be Σ3(111) twin boundaries, Ruddlesden-Popper [Acta Crystallogr. 11, 54 (1958)] antiphase boundaries, and a p p superdislocations connected with a small segment of Ruddlesden-Popper defect. These defects are present initially in the as-synthesized sample. In addition, we find that ordered voids (oxygen vacancies) are easily introduced into the multiferroic BiMnO 3 by electron-beam irradiation

The electronic properties of dye-sensitized semiconductor surfaces consisting of pery- lene chromophores chemisorbed on zinc oxide via different spacer-anchor groups, have been studied at the density-functional-theory level. The energy distributions of the donor states and the rates of photoinduced electron transfer from dye to surface are predicted. We evaluate in particular the impact of saturated versus unsaturated aliphatic spacer groups inserted between the perylene chromophore and the semiconductor as well as the influence of surface defects on the electron-injection rates.

We report results of positron-electron momentum-distribution measurements of single-crystal La2CuO4 using two-dimensional angular correlation of positron-annihilation-radiation techniques. The data contain two components: a large (~85%), isotropic corelike electron contribution and a remaining, anisotropic valence-electron contribution modeled using a linear combination of atomic orbitals-molecular orbital method and a localized ion scheme, within the independent-particle model approximation. This work suggests a ligand-field Hamiltonian to be justified for describing the electronic properties of perovskite materials.

We report results of positron-electron momentum-distribution measurements of single-crystal La 2 CuO 4 using two-dimensional angular correlation of positron-annihilation-radiation techniques. The data contain two components: a large (∼85%), isotropic corelike electron contribution and a remaining, anisotropic valence-electron contribution modeled using a linear combination of atomic orbitals--molecular orbital method and a localized ion scheme, within the independent-particle model approximation. This work suggests a ligand-field Hamiltonian to be justified for describing the electronic properties of perovskite materials

Also in adhesives and tackifiers, with the expansion of the fields of application, the required characteristics have become high grade and complex. As one of them, the instantaneous hardening of adhesives can be taken up. In the field of lamination works, the low energy type electron beam accelerators having the linear filament of accelerating voltage below 300 kV were developed in 1970s, and the interest in the development of electron beam-handened adhesives has heightend. The authors have carried out research aiming at heightening the functions of the polymer films obtained by electron beam hardening reaction, and developed the adhesives. In this report, the features of electron beam hardening reaction, the structure and properties of electron beam-hardened polymer films and the molecular design of electron beam-hardened monomer oligomers are described. The feature of electron beam hardening reaction is the cross-linking of high degree as the structure of oligomers is maintained. By controlling the structure at the time of electron beam hardening, the heightening of the functions of electron beam-hardened polymer films is feasible. (K.I.)

Off-axis electron holography has been used to characterize a linear array of transistors, which was prepared for examination in cross-sectional geometry in the transmission electron microscope using focused ion beam milling. In reconstructed phase images, regions of silicon oxide that are located...... into account the mean inner potential of the specimen and the perturbed vacuum reference wave. The simulations suggest that the oxide layers contain a uniform volume density of positive charge and that the elliptical contours result from the combined effect of the electrostatic potential in the specimen...

The electronic and optical properties of α-graphyne sheet are investigated by using density functional theory. The results confirm that α-graphyne sheet is a zero-gap semimetal. The optical properties of the α-graphyne sheet such as dielectric function, refraction index, electron energy loss function, reflectivity, absorption coefficient and extinction index are calculated for both parallel and perpendicular electric field polarizations. The optical spectra are strongly anisotropic along these two polarizations. For (E ∥ x), absorption edge is at 0 eV, while there is no absorption below 8 eV for (E ∥ z).

Because of the increasing use of microelectronic componentry in automobiles, vocational educators must reexamine existing automotive mechanics curricula to ensure that they can continue to provide relevant job training. After examining recent trends in the impact of computers and electronics on automotive design and engineering, existing auto…

We have been engaged in carrying out a foundation study on problems pertaining to near-threshold nuclear excitations in e-H 2 scattering. The primary goals of this study are: to investigate the severity and nature of the anticipated breakdown of the adiabatic-nuclei (AN) approximation, first for rotation only (in the rigid-rotator approximation), and then for vibration; to determine a data base of accurate ab initio cross sections for this important system; to implement and test accurate, computationally-tractable model potentials for exchange and polarization effects; and to begin the exploration of alternative scattering theories for near-threshold collisions. This study has provided a well-defined theoretical context for our future investigations. Second, it has enabled us to identify and quantify several serious problems in the theory of near-threshold electron-molecule scattering that demand attention. And finally, it has led to the development of some of the theoretical and computational apparatus that will form the foundation of future work. In this report, we shall review our progress to date, emphasizing work completed during the current contract year. 17 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Xanthorhodopsin (xR) is a member of the retinal protein family and acts as a proton pump in the cell membranes of the extremely halophilic eubacterium Salinibacter ruber. In addition to the retinal chromophore, xR contains a carotenoid, which acts as a light-harvesting antenna as it transfers 40% of the quanta it absorbs to the retinal. Our previous studies have shown that the CD and absorption spectra of xR are dramatically affected due to the protonation of two different residues. It is still unclear whether xR can bind cations. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy used in the present study revealed that xR can bind divalent cations, such as Mn 2+ and Ca 2+ , to deionized xR (DI-xR). We also demonstrate that xR can bind 1 equiv of Mn 2+ to a high-affinity binding site followed by binding of ∼40 equiv in cooperative manner and ∼100 equiv of Mn 2+ that are weakly bound. SQUID magnetic studies suggest that the high cooperative binding of Mn 2+ cations to xR is due to the formation of Mn 2+ clusters. Our data demonstrate that Ca 2+ cations bind to DI-xR with a lower affinity than Mn 2+ , supporting the assumption that binding of Mn 2+ occurs through cluster formation, because Ca 2+ cations cannot form clusters in contrast to Mn 2+ .